WASHINGTON — A Forest Heights Police cruiser crashed in a tree in Southeast D.C. during a pursuit Sunday night. Surveillance video is raising concerns for people who live in the neighborhood where the crash happened.
Dispatch audio indicates that Maryland police officers were pursuing a car following an armed carjacking that occurred in Prince George's County.
Surveillance video obtained by WUSA9 shows a white sedan speeding through the 1900 block of 16th Street Southeast at around 8 p.m. Moments later, the Forest Heights Police cruiser is seen crashing into the tree.
"It was absolutely insane," said Ryan, who shared the Ring camera video, and spoke to WUSA9 Monday afternoon, "I saw the camera footage and I could not understand why the cop was on the sidewalk at all. It felt like a grand theft auto game which is insane there are elderly people who live here there are kids I walk my dog regularly at that hour I mean anything could have happened any change in variable it could have been very very bad for the community here."
Witnesses and dispatch audio say that the officer driving the cruiser was not injured in the crash.
Other Forest Heights and Prince George's County police cars are seen chasing the white car.
Neighbors say the incident took them by surprise but it also drew safety concerns.
In the surveillance video, both the white car and the police cars are seen driving in the wrong direction of the one-way street.
Neighbors also pointed out that the speed at which the cars were driving would have made it difficult for drivers or pedestrians to get out of the path of the traveling cars.
Other residents questioned why Maryland police officers were conducting what they believe to be a high-speed chase in D.C. streets. There is no word if anyone was taken into custody following the pursuit, or what charges they may be facing.
WUSA9 later learned the officer driving the SUV is a rookie with just 8 months on the job. Forest Heights police told WUSA9 Monday that officers spotted the Nissan Maxima on the 5500 block of Livingston Road. The officer's in-car License Plate Reader identified it as a carjacked vehicle linked to armed robberies in Prince George's County. They initiated a stop and the chase ensued, weaving through Prince George’s County and entering the District where DC police and Prince George’s County Police were notified of the pursuit
"I am not a fan of chases through a major city," said Ryan. "D.C. is not set up like that we have cyclist, we have pedestrians its so dangerous. But I don't know the alternative."
Forest Heights Police said they have an agreement with DC Police to conduct chases as long as the pursuits are done with “due regard” to public safety.
The officer who drove on the sidewalk before crashing into the tree is off the job and under investigation for his actions in this chase.
"Good," Ryan reacted. "Honestly, I think we need to hold our police officers accountable."
Forest Heights Police Chief Anthony Reese called it an "unfortunate incident" and was happy no one was hurt.
His complete statement is below:
All pursuits that a Forest Heights Police officer is involved in are investigated by a supervisor; we call this a pursuit critique. The results of the pursuit critique will determine if an internal investigation is warranted. The on-duty supervisor will review the in-car camera and body-worn camera footage. The supervisor will also canvass nearby surveillance cameras to see if they capture the incident. The Metropolitan Police Department is completing a vehicle crash report.
Forest Heights pursued this vehicle under the fresh pursuit laws of Maryland (Md. Code CP § 2-301) and the District of Columbia (D.C. Code § 23-903). The particular vehicle being pursued is wanted for Armed Car Jacking, and it was used in several citizen-armed robberies in Prince George's County. All offenses are felonies in the State of Maryland.
Since 2022, the Forest Heights Police has been proactive and equipping patrol vehicles with mobile license plate readers. These readers captured a license plate and compared it against the National Crime Information Center database (NCIC), from which we received the felony information.
This vehicle was observed entering Forest Heights Police jurisdiction through South Capital Street and traveling on one of the municipal streets maintained by the Town of Forest Heights. Officers followed the vehicle until enough officers were in the area to initiate a traffic stop. Once the officer attempted a traffic stop, the vehicle fled to the District of Columbia.
This is an unfortunate incident, and I am happy no one got injured. Over the past few years, we have seen increased in crime nationwide. Municipal Police Departments such as Forest Heights must find new and innovative ways to police. We are facing problems such as our citizens needing to feel safer doing once-routine things like going to the bank, home, grocery store, convenience store, and gas stations. Looking at this incident preliminary, the officer will need re-training, but I do want to make this clear: if a suspect enters the Town of Forest Heights jurisdictions and is wanted for homicide, armed robbery, armed carjacking, or a contact shooting, we will chase them and attempt to capture them safely and within policy. I fully reject the notion of leaving it up to someone else while we have an opportunity to take them off the streets. I have a duty to keep the Town of Forest Heights citizens safe, and I won't leave that to chance. After this incident, we will regroup and retrain so we can continue to keep our citizens safe.
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