Friends of one of the victims of a double-fatal crash in Silver Spring on Dec. 4 are questioning why D.C. police stopped their pursuit of the crash-causing car as it entered Montgomery County.
The collision — along Georgia Avenue — came just minutes after a brief high-speed chase in the District that spilled over into Maryland.
Officials told The Examiner a Chevrolet Impala sped down the roadway before smacking into a Crown Victoria and a Honda Accord just a half-mile from the county border. Killed were Shawn Ryan Terrill and Ahmad Glenn, twoof the four Honda passengers.
Now those who knew Glenn are searching for answers as to why the Impala was in a position to pile into the other vehicles.
Sarah Iliff most wants to understand the reason D.C. officers stopped chasing the culprit, as they did the moment the Impala reached Maryland.
“The job of the police to to protect everyone, but they just watched the car speed away,” she told The Examiner. “They should have at least radioed for help.”
According to Junis Fletcher, a public information officer for D.C. Police, the ordeal began as several patrol calls were on the District side of Georgia Avenue for an unrelated traffic offense.
“During that traffic stop, this car drove by at a high rate of speed,” he said. “One unit went after the car. But as soon as they cut on their lights and activated the siren, they went to an even greater speed.”
He said the decision to stop the chase at the county line falls within departmental policy, because officers are only supposed to keep following serious felons.
Montgomery County Police only entered into the picture after the collision, according to spokesman Lt. Eric Burnett.
Burnett said D.C. police did not contact Montgomery County officers about the fast-moving Impala. Rather, witnesses called 911 to report the crash, and police responded.
The investigation is ongoing, the lieutenant said.
One of the men in the Impala was treated at a local hospital while the other people in the car — at least two — reportedly fled the scene.
Burnett said no arrests have been made, but he expects charges to be filed in coming weeks.
