Update: Fatal Shooting After Car Chase

Update:

A Takoma Park police officer fatally shot a man Saturday after he fled the scene of an attempted carjacking where he stabbed his victim multiple times, police said.

Prince George’s County Police are investigating what began Saturday afternoon with the attempted carjacking at a Sunoco gas station and ended with a confrontation between the suspect and police near the intersection of Riggs Road and Metzerott Road.

The suspect, who is reported to be 19 years old, was transported to MedStar Washington Hospital Center where he was declared dead, police said.  The stabbing victim, a Takoma Park resident, was also transported to MedStar Washington Hospital Center where he is presently undergoing surgery and is in critical condition, according to police. Neither of their names has been released.

The stabbing victim was filling his car with gas at a Sunoco on New Hampshire Avenue, police said. He left his car to step inside the convenience store, but when he came out, he saw a man in his car. He yelled at him to get out and screamed for somebody to call the police. When the victim resisting handing over the keys to his vehicle, he was stabbed multiple times, police said.

As Takoma Park Police arrived on the scene at approximately 3:47 p.m., witnesses pointed out the suspect, who had left the victim’s car and was fleeing in a red Ford Focus. The high-speed chase began.

The officers lost sight of the car for a period of time, but then saw it overturned at Riggs Road and Metzerott Road, apparently after colliding with three other cars, police said.

Officer Mary Jo Walpole observed the suspect fleeing and pursued him on foot. Several yards away from his car, she fired her Taser at the suspect, but it seemed to have no effect, police said.  The suspect then charged Walpole, assaulting her.

A second Takoma Park police officer, Cpl. Keith Largent, arrived and demanded that the suspect stop.  Police said that Largent, fearing for Walpole’s life, fired his weapon multiple times.

Walpole and Largent, who have been with the Takoma Park Police Department for 8 years and 23 years, respectively, are on administrative leave, according to departmental policy.

Original story, 10 p.m. on Dec. 10:

The suspect in a stabbing at a Sunoco gas station on New Hampshire Avenue Saturday afternoon fled the scene in a red Ford Focus, police said. Police Chief Ronald Ricucci said Takoma Park Police caught up with the car and chased it for about 10 minutes, before the car flipped near the intersection of Riggs Road and Metzerott Road, The Examiner reported.

What happened next led to the 19-year-old suspect’s death:

Chief Ricucci says the female officer attempted to Tase the suspect, but without success.  She struggled with the man until the male police officer shot him after ordering him to stop.

Witnesses said the suspect was shot several times and was in cardiac arrest. He was taken to a trauma center and was pronounced dead.

According to The Examiner, the stabbing victim, a Takoma Park resident, sustained “serious chest wounds.”

For the full story and a recording of the police chase, visit The Examiner’s website.