Police identify 19-year-old suspect arrested in double fatal DC crash
WASHINGTON - Police have identified the suspect arrested in connection to a double fatal crash in Southeast D.C.
Demetris Koger, 19, of Southeast D.C. was arrested Tuesday and charged with Fugitive from Justice.
The car involved, a silver BMW sedan, was part of an active pursuit by the United States Park Police and Anne Arundel County police, who say the vehicle was wanted in connection with multiple robberies.
Justin Mulcahy, a spokesperson for the Anne Arundel County Police Department, said there have been at least 40 cases of "jugging" in the past few months and at least a dozen in Anne Arundel County, alone.
"Jugging" refers to unsuspecting victims being targeted after they take out money from the bank or ATM.
"You got to remember, this really defines brazen. These are citizen robberies that are happening at banks under surveillance in daylight, many times in the afternoon. These vehicles are sitting there, lurking in parking lots looking for potential victims," Mulcahy said. "Yesterday, again, unfortunate ending. But we’ve had victims throughout the region who have, quite frankly, been terrorized over the last few months by suspects who have been doing this. We’re continuing to investigate, we’re continuing to work with our regional partners to kind of get a handle on all of these crimes that have been happening."
Mulcahy said it’s unclear whether the car was involved in a "jugging" or robbery on the day of the crash, but he said authorities had been detailing the area for weeks in response to the incidents.
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Car goes up in flames, 2 people killed in fatal collision in Southeast DC
A vehicle went up in flames following a fatal collision that left two people dead in Southeast, D.C.
Anne Arundel County police are investigating the robberies, while police in D.C. are taking the lead on the crash investigation.
In an updated press release Wednesday, D.C. police confirmed the car was traveling at a high rate of speed just after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 4100 block of Southern Avenue, SE.
The car lost control, veered right, and mounted the west curb sidewalk. It hit a tree with such force that the car split in half and the front part rotated until stopping against an iron fence.
According to police, Koger was ejected from the car on Tuesday and tried to run from the scene, but he was arrested by police.
Two occupants were removed from the car and pronounced deceased on the scene.
One of the decedents is 17-year-old Dashawn Harris of Southeast, D.C.
The D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, along with MPD investigators, are still working to identify the second decedent.
According to police, the BWM was identified Wednesday by the VIN as being used in an armed robbery.
Anyone who knows about this incident should call the police at 202-727-9099.