DC manhunt enters second day for driver who killed pedestrian while fleeing Secret Service

Uniformed Secret Service officers attempted to pull the driver over at the intersection of 17th Street NW and Constitution Avenue, near the World War II memorial, shortly before 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Secret Service Lt. Paul Mayhair said in a statement.

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“The suspect indicated that they would stop the vehicle, but then quickly fled southbound on 17th Street NW. The suspect then crossed a red traffic signal and struck multiple individuals in the crosswalk,” Mayhair said.

One person was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition and later succumbed to their injuries, Mayhair said. The person was identified only as a 75-year-old Philadelphia man. Two other people had injuries, including a 13-year-old girl, Secret Service said.

The driver was in a 2006 blue Honda Accord, Mayhair said, and Secret Service had pulled him over for expired registration.

“Police are working to locate the suspect and our deepest condolences go out to the victim’s family Statement below from Uniformed Division,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.

Since Thursday, 28 people have been killed in D.C. traffic so far this year — a 40% increase with eight more people compared to this time last year, according to D.C. police statistics. Two D.C. Council members recently introduced several bills targeted at tackling dangerous driving in the district.

Current D.C. law states that the city can boot vehicles for two or more unpaid tickets. A bill introduced by Councilman Charles Allen would include license suspensions for accumulating tickets within six months. Under the provision, a license could be suspended if the driver has two or more tickets for 20 mph or more over the speed limit, which is considered reckless driving, or have fake temporary tags on the vehicle.

Allen said in a statement to the Washington Examiner that the “senseless death was absolutely tragic.” He said based on preliminary reports he had received, the driver had three unpaid parking tickets, including one going 41-45 mph on H Street.

“Based on those unpaid tickets, the car was eligible to be booted under current law. Unfortunately, DPW’s booting capacity is so limited that dangerous drivers like this aren’t held accountable for their actions. We need to strengthen both our laws and our enforcement,” Allen said.

He added that if his legislation had been law at the time of this incident, “this driver would lose driving privileges as soon as they are charged for this death, which isn’t currently the case.”

A second bill from Councilwoman Christina Henderson, introduced last week, would suspend licenses before conviction in certain circumstances, especially for people who negligently kill someone with a car, leave the scene of a crash, or drive under the influence.

Henderson said in an interview with the Washington Examiner that she drew from both personal and constituent experiences when crafting her legislation. She said it was “heartbreaking” to talk to family members who had similar near-miss situations.

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“Whether you have a kid and their father is getting hit in a crosswalk on Walk to School Day, like that has happened in the district, we’ve just had an increasing number of traffic fatalities,” Henderson said.

“We talk a lot about crime and violence in the city, and traffic violence is part of it. So for my part, it was looking to see where are some loopholes that we need to tighten up and then also how can our laws promote more enforcement but overall more safety for all involved — pedestrians, bikers, and drivers,” Henderson continued.