PGPD Investigating Fatal Pedestrian Collision in Lanham

The Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit is investigating a fatal pedestrian collision in Lanham. The victim is 39-year-old Julie Risal of Pigeonwing Place in Columbia, Maryland. 

On June 8, 2018, at approximately 3:30 am, patrol officers responded to Martin Luther King Jr. Highway and Forbes Boulevard for a collision involving a pedestrian and a car. When they arrived, the officers found Risal in the roadway. She was taken to the hospital where she died several hours later.

The investigation reveals the victim was struck while crossing Martin Luther King Jr. Highway. The driver remained on the scene. Preliminarily, investigators do not believe the victim was in a crosswalk.

  

Anyone with information is asked to call the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit at 301-731-4422.  Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), or go online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com, or use the “P3 Tips” mobile app (search “P3 Tips” in the Apple Store or Google Play to download the app onto your mobile device.)

PGPD CHIEF HANK STAWINSKI AMONG SELECT GROUP OF COMMUNITY EXECUTIVES AND PRIVATE BUSINESS LEADERS TO ATTEND PRESTIGIOUS MILITARY CONFERENCE

The Prince George’s County Police Department is excited to announce that our Chief Hank Stawinski has been selected to participate in the 2018 Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC 88) hosted by the Secretary of Defense.  The JCOC program is the oldest and most prestigious public liaison program in the Department of Defense

        As a JCOC participant, Chief Stawinski will spend several intense days from June 10-16, 2018 at undisclosed military installations, engaging with senior military officials and U.S. Service members.  In addition to participating in tactical training exercises, he will gain a better understanding of the roles and mission of the U.S. Armed Forces; their skills, capabilities and equipment employed in defense of our nation.

       The JCOC program is directly linked to the Department of Defense’s new initiative, This Is Your Military.  The goal of this initiative is to educate and accurately inform the American public on the military's relevance, innovativeness and how it is a force for good.  It also seeks to introduce the American public to those who currently serve, and dispel common misperceptions about the military.

     Chief Stawinski said, “I have always been very proud of those who choose to serve our nation in both foreign and domestic endeavors. I was thrilled to be nominated by Brigadier General Select E. John Teichert III, Commander of Joint Base Andrews.  Joint Base Andrews is, of course, home of Air Force One and located here in Prince George’s County.  This is a long-standing program that seeks to create and foster understanding between military and the civilians whom they protect.  I look forward to discussing my experiences upon my return and am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve as an ambassador in this capacity.” 

The objective of the JCOC public liaison program is to help bridge the growing military-civilian divide by:

• Educating and informing participants about the strength and readiness of the U.S. Armed Forces through personal observation of Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard operations.

• Providing a better understanding of the rewards of military service.

• Providing the American public opportunities to obtain a better understanding of national defense policies and programs through the eyes of opinion leaders who have spent time with their military.

Medical Examiner Rules Fire-Related Death a Homicide, Investigation Ongoing

Homicide Unit detectives continue to investigate the circumstances of an elderly woman’s death inside of her Chillum home, The victim, 76-year-old Jeanette Goines of Ray Road, was discovered after a fire at her house.   

The body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy during which Goines was positively identified through dental records. The medical examiner determined the cause of death as blunt force trauma and the manner was ruled homicide. It was determined she died before the fire.

On April 14^th at approximately 7:40 am, Prince George’s County Fire personnel responded to a home in the 1400 block of Ray Road. They observed smoke and forced entry into the home. Once inside, firefighters found the victim deceased and badly burned. At the time, she was unable to be identified.

Prince George’s County Police patrol officers had responded to the home the morning of the homicide. At 7:08 am, we were called there for a residential alarm call. Officers checked the home and found it secured with no signs of forced entry. There was no sign of a fire at the time.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Homicide Unit at 301-772-4925. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), or go online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com, or use the “P3 Tips” mobile app (search “P3 Tips” in the Apple Store or Google Play to download the app onto your mobile device.)

PGPD Officers Arrest Man Moments After He Assaults & Robs Young Girl

Lamar Rudolph Samuel

A man who grabbed, choked and robbed an eight-year-old girl as she walked to school Monday morning was taken into custody moments after the assault. Two Prince George’s County Police officers driving separately into work on Monday morning each heard the radio call for a suspicious man outside of a school and the school was on lockdown. Both officers redirected their cars and raced in direction of the school.  First on scene, they quickly located the suspect who was standing outside of the school where he had just urinated on the building. The officers approached him and placed him in handcuffs. The suspect is 34-year-old Lamar Samuel of Southeast Washington. 

On June 4^th, at approximately 7:50 am, the victim was walking to school in the 4900 block of Annapolis Road. The investigation reveals Samuel approached the girl, choked her and then grabbed her cell phone. He then carried the victim in a chokehold across the street where he was confronted by school staff. The suspect let go of the girl and staff members got her to safety. The school was immediately placed on lockdown. Thankfully, the victim’s injuries were not serious.

Through the course of their investigation, our detectives later learned that twenty minutes before this attack, Samuel matched the description of a man who groped a woman on a Metrobus in Bladensburg.  Metro Transit Police detectives had shared surveillance photos of the unknown suspect with the public and local law enforcement in their effort to identify and locate him.   When Samuel was positively identified, MTPD detectives obtained an arrest warrant and Samuel was served on Thursday.

Prince George’s County Police Chief Hank Stawinski and Metro Transit Police Chief Ron Pavlik both thanked the quick-acting officers and diligent detectives for their collaborative efforts in getting a dangerous person off of the streets so quickly. 

In connection with the assault on the young girl, Samuel is charged with attempted first degree murder, second degree assault, indecent exposure and robbery among other charges. He’s in custody of the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections on a no-bond status.

For information about charges in the bus assault, please contact Metro Transit Police.  

 Anyone with information on the PGPD investigation or this suspect is asked to call 301-699-2601. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), or go online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com, or use the “P3 Tips” mobile app (search “P3 Tips” in the Apple Store or Google Play to download the app onto your mobile device.)