By Del Quentin Wilber and Nicole Fuller, The Washington Post
Three youths riding in a stolen Jeep were arrested yesterday after leading police on a high-speed chase that began in Laurel and ended with a crash in Northeast Washington, authorities said.
No one was seriously hurt in the pursuit, which reached speeds of about 80 mph and involved as many as 15 police cars from at least three jurisdictions, police said. Three police cars were damaged in accidents along the way, and a U.S. Park Police officer fired gunshots at one point -- just before the suspects’ vehicle crashed and the chase ended.
The pursuit lasted 20 minutes. Two Park Police officers suffered minor injuries and were treated at a hospital. Police did not release the names or ages of the suspects, who were not hurt. They were in custody last night.
The episode began about 2:40 p.m., when witnesses spotted three youths trying to break into a truck at a shopping mall in the 14300 block of Baltimore Avenue in Laurel, police said. When the youths could not get into the vehicle, they rushed across the street and broke into another car in the parking lot of a motel, authorities said.
Laurel police officers approached the car on foot and attempted to arrest the youths, police said. When the youths spotted the officers, they darted into a stolen black Jeep Cherokee -- which they had already been driving - and drove toward the officers, police said.
The officers jumped into their cars and began chasing the Jeep, according to Jim Collins, a spokesman for the Laurel police. The chase continued onto southbound U.S. Route 1 and then onto the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.
Over their radios, Laurel police announced that they were chasing a Jeep driven by suspects who had tried to assault police officers, Collins said.
Laurel police eventually lost track of the Jeep. But a short time later, Park Police spotted the vehicle and chased it briefly before they lost it, too. Then, a few minutes later, a D.C. police helicopter crew saw the Jeep at Interstate 295 and Pennsylvania Avenue SE, and Park Police were able to pick up the chase again, authorities said.
As many as 15 police cars, including some from the District, pursued the Jeep onto side streets, police said, and as the chase progressed, the accidents began.
At 47th and East Capitol streets in Northeast, a Park Police officer crashed into a utility pole, police said. Then, in the 6100 block of Clay Street NE, D.C. police and Park Police cars collided with a private vehicle, authorities said.
The gunshots were fired on Clay Street. A Park Police officer, who was outside his car, shot at the driver of the Jeep when the vehicle accelerated in his direction, police said. No one was hit in the gunfire, and the Jeep crashed into a parked car. Police quickly arrested the fleeing youths, authorities said.
A Park Police spokesman, Sgt. Scott Fear, said officers chased the Jeep because they believed the driver had tried to commit a violent felony by assaulting officers in Laurel. Park Police guidelines permit pursuits under those circumstances, Fear said.
D.C. police rules permit officers to chase cars if a violent crime has occurred or if someone could be seriously hurt if the suspect was allowed to escape.
Laurel police said they intended to file assault charges because the youths drove toward their officers during the initial confrontation. The youths also could face charges in the District.