(Rockville, MD) Suspect involved in a hit and run crash while crossing in to Maryland during a police pursuit involving the Virginia State Police has been arrested and charged.
The accused is identified as Shaquille N. Scott, 23, of Washington, D.C. Scott is charged with multiple firearms violations, motor vehicle theft, malicious destruction of property, and numerous traffic charges. Scott is currently being held at the Montgomery County Detention Center.
Three vehicles were involved in the hit and run crash: a KIA SUV, a Dodge pickup truck and a Virginia State Police patrol car. The Virginia State trooper was uninjured in the crash.
The driver of the KIA is identified as April Garong, 36, of Virginia. She was transported to INOVA in Fairfax for injuries sustained in the crash.
The driver of the gray Dodge pickup truck is identified as Edgar Adiel Romero Mejia, 35, of Maryland. Mejia refused medical treatment at the scene.
Yesterday at 6:45 p.m. Virginia State Police received a call for a vehicle that struck the jersey wall on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and described the driver as all over the roadway. Moments later, another caller reported a gray sedan driving erratically on I-495 west of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. An immediate lookout for the suspect vehicle was broadcast.
Virginia State Police located the vehicle, a 1994 Lexus ES 300, traveling north on I-495 near Braddock Road and observed erratic driving to include dangerous lane changes and speed fluctuations. The Virginia State trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the Lexus sped away in excess of 100 mph. The suspect continued to drive erratically, exiting and entering the highway and crossing medians. The pursuit continued into Maryland via I-495, crossing over the American Legion Bridge.
The preliminary investigation indicates the hit and run crash occurred on the American Legion Bridge involving a white KIA SUV and a gray Dodge Pickup Truck. Police believe the driver of the Lexus, later identified as Scott, struck both vehicles and continued to elude police attempting to maneuver through traffic to flee the scene. During Scott’s attempt to flee the scene, he subsequently struck a Virginia State Police patrol car, exited his vehicle and fled the scene on foot.
Less than an hour after the incident, officers from the Montgomery County Police Department located the suspect, Shaquille N. Scott, 23, of Washington, D.C, at a fast food restaurant in the 5200 block of River Road, approximately five miles from the crash scene. Maryland State Police from the Rockville Barrack responded to the restaurant and apprehended him without incident. Scott was taken into custody and transported to the Rockville Barrack.
During the course of the investigation, a loaded rifle with the serial number filed off was located outside of the Lexus, which had been reported stolen out of Washington, D.C. The investigation continues…
For details involving the pursuit in Virginia, contact: Shelby Crouch, shelby.crouch@vsp.virginia.gov
For details involving the crash in Maryland, contact: Elena Russo, msp.media@maryland.gov
