WASHINGTON — A man who went on a deadly crime spree that involved several carjackings in D.C. and Prince George's County was shot dead by police early Tuesday morning, according to police. Executive Assistant Police Chief Jeffery Carroll explained how the investigation unfolded.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, the first shooting happened in the 900 block of K Street, Northwest.
Shortly after 5:45 p.m., officers were called to the area for reports of an unconscious person. When help arrived, they found a man lying outside on the sidewalk. He was taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries. That man remains in critical condition as of Tuesday.
After reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses, police say the man entered a parked vehicle in the area and shot the person inside.
Police in D.C. were looking for a man wearing a black sweatsuit and black backpack in connection to the shooting.
Around 7 p.m., the same man tried to commit a carjacking at the intersection of 5th and K Street but was unsuccessful, according to police.
About 10 minutes later, police were called to the 300 block of N Street, Northeast for a separate shooting. Officers say the suspect approached a man and woman near their car. The suspect demanded their car keys and shot the man. He fled the scene in victim's car, a grey Chrysler 200. The victim, 35-year-old Alberto Vasquez Jr., was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.
During a preliminary investigation, police began to learn that the two scenes may have been connected.
Back on K Street, witnesses told detectives that the man may have been from Prince George's County. A short time later, the vehicle taken in the deadly carjacking was found abandoned in Prince George's County.
Police say the man then carjacked another person in Prince George's County. The Nissan Rogue was carjacked from a rideshare driver.
Around 3 a.m., the man behind the wheel of the Rogue fired shots at an MPD cruiser in the area of I-295 and the First Street exit. Bullets struck the vehicle, but no one was hurt.
Around 5 a.m., police were called to a parking lot in West Lanham Hills, where the carjacked Nissan Rogue was found. Officers with the New Carrollton Police Department shot and killed the man there.
Police have not yet identified anyone involved in the series of carjackings and shooting. The investigation remains active and ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 202-727-9099.
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