Suspect Flees after Report of Robbery; Crashes in DC and Dies of Injuries.

On December 23, 2019, at 11:51 pm, patrol officers were called to the 9100 block of Livingston Road in Fort Washington for the report of a robbery of a gas station. While responding to the call, one officer saw the car in which the suspect fled.

Two minutes later, at 11:53 pm, the officer conducted a traffic stop on the suspect’s car in the 6600 block of Oxon Hill Road. The driver stopped his vehicle, remained on scene for 1 minute and 9 seconds and then sped away at a high rate of speed. Officers radioed to a supervisor that the driver was fleeing and requested permission to pursue. Around 11:55 pm, a pursuit was authorized based on the information available at that time and the officers began to pursue the driver which led them into Washington DC.  Simultaneously, other officers responded to the gas station to investigate the robbery.    

Just minutes later, at 12:00 am, as the driver was attempting to get away on 295 northbound, his vehicle collided with a jersey wall on the 11th street southeast exit ramp and caught on fire. Via radio, officers immediately notified DC Fire/EMS to the respond to the scene.  Officers exited their cruisers, retrieved their department-issued fire extinguishers and were able to extinguish the fire and remove the driver from his car.  Rescue crews arrived on scene within moments. The driver was transported to a local hospital where he died of his injuries.  The decedent is 36 year-old Danny Washington of Northeast DC.   

Officers investigating the robbery at the gas station determined it was a theft of business funds.  

PGPD will be conducting the investigation in relation to the theft and the pursuit. MPDC is conducting the collision investigation.