The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - A man, who was shot by police during a traffic stop, died following a chase and crash Sunday, police said.
Around 4 a.m., two police officers in separate cruisers pulled over a Toyota Camry with Maryland tags that were not registered to the car in the 1,000 block of New Jersey Ave., Northwest.
The officers told investigators they ordered the unidentified man behind the wheel to turn off the car’s engine and keep his hands in sight. But the driver allegedly stepped on the gas and hit 33-year-old officer Frederick Piquette, said Sgt. Joe Gentile, a police spokesman.
Both officers fired their guns, then chased the vehicle to the 1400 block of Florida Ave., Northeast. The car hit a pole and flipped over. The driver had a bullet wound to the upper body, but Gentile said investigators don’t know if he died from that or the crash. The D.C. Medical Examiner is expected to perform an autopsy and determine the cause of death.
Piquette was treated for an injured leg. He and Babar Dass, 36, have been placed on routine administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation. Both officers are four year veterans of the department.
Police also plan to apply for a warrant to search the suspect’s car.