UPDATE 7/17/2023: The Maryland Office of the Attorney General Independent Investigations Division Released the following statement:
The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Office of the Attorney General is investigating a fatal crash that occurred following a police pursuit in Charles County on Thursday afternoon.
On June 29, at approximately 2:00 p.m., officers with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 11900 block of Acton Lane in Waldorf for reports of a woman being assaulted by a man in a parking lot and a possible carjacking. Officers were made aware that the man who was not known to the woman left the scene after stealing the woman’s car.
The first arriving officer spotted the woman’s car being driven out of the parking lot and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the male driver failed to stop and led officers on a pursuit for several minutes.
While fleeing south on Mattawoman-Beantown Road, the man lost control of the car, struck a grass median, crossed into the northbound lanes of Mattawoman-Beantown Road and collided with a dump truck. The man was pronounced dead on scene. The dump truck driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital. The woman who was assaulted was taken to a local hospital also with minor injuries. No officers were injured.
The IID is investigating this incident with assistance from the Maryland State Police Crash Team.
The IID will generally release the name of the involved officers within 48 hours of the incident, though that period may be extended if an officer is injured, or if there is a specific reason to believe that an officer’s safety is at risk.
There were Sheriff’s officers’ dashboard cameras and microphones that activated during the incident. The IID will generally release body camera footage or dashboard camera footage within 14 days of an incident. There may be situations where more than 14 days is necessary, including if investigators need more time to complete witness interviews, if there are technical delays caused by the need to redact the identities of civilian witnesses, or to allow family members to view the video before it is released to the public.
The Independent Investigations Division investigates all police-involved incidents that result in the death of a civilian or injuries that are likely to result in the death of a civilian occurring in the State of Maryland.
The IID was created by the Maryland General Assembly in the spring of 2021 as part of a large package of police accountability and reform bills. The IID has jurisdiction over incidents that have occurred since October 1, 2021. In 2023 the General Assembly expanded the IID’s authority to include prosecution.
UPDATE 6/29/2023 @ 9:45 P.M.: On June 29, 2023, at 2 p.m., officers from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to a business in the 11900 block of Acton Lane in Waldorf for the report of a male beating and choking a woman and a possible carjacking in progress.
The victim and suspect were unknown to each other and, according to witnesses, it appeared to be a random attack. A patrol officer, who was nearby, arrived and observed the injured woman on the ground. He also observed the suspect driving away in the victim’s car at a high rate of speed. Officers followed the car southbound onto Mattawoman Beantown Road where the suspect continued driving at high speeds and in a reckless manner. As the suspect approached Poplar Hill Road, he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a dump truck.
The suspect was pronounced deceased on the scene, and the driver of the dump truck was treated for injuries that were not life threatening. The woman who was assaulted was transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
In accordance with Maryland law, the Office of the Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division (IID) and the Maryland State Police (MSP) was contacted and responded to the scene to lead the investigation.
The investigation is ongoing.
6/29/2023: On Thursday, June 29, 2023, at approximately 2:00 p.m., police responded to the Walmart located at 11930 Acton Lane in Waldorf, for the reported possible carjacking in progress.
A Charles County Officer who was in the parking lot responded and within seconds located the suspect fleeing in a gold Toyota Camry with a female victim laying in the parking lot suffering from injuries after the assault.
An ambulance was requested for the female victim who suffered multiple unknown severity of injuries.
The suspect fled in the victims gold Toyota Camry at a high rate of speed and lead officers on a chase through the Waldorf area.
Officers reported speeds of over 116 mph before the suspect lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a dump truck at approximately 2:06 p.m.
The suspect who is believed to be the only occupant of the Toyota Camry, was pronounced deceased on the scene.
The operator of the dump truck was reportedly injured with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police are actively investigating and updates will be provided when they become available.
Charles County Sheriff’s Office released the following. “Mattawoman Beantown Rd will be shut down in both directions between the Mattawoman Park & Ride and Poplar Hill Rd due to an accident.
Police Activity: Officers are on the scene of a motor vehicle crash. Mattawoman Beantown Rd will be closed-in both directions – between the Mattawoman Park and Ride and Poplar Hill Rd. SHA is on scene for traffic control. More details will be released when available.”
