Carjacker Turns Off Headlights To Trick Police, Dies In Crash: PG County Police

SUITLAND, MD — A Bowie man is dead after a crash in Suitland, shortly after carjacking a couple while armed with a gun and then turning off his lights to evade police, police say.

Police were called to the 1000 block of Largo Center Drive in Upper Marlboro at around 1:15 a.m. Wednesday morning to a report of an armed carjacking and robbery. Upon arrival, police found a couple who told them that a man armed with a gun "demanded their property and demanded the female victim’s car," according to a report from the Prince George's County Police Department.

Police broadcast a description of the suspect and the car. A patrol officers about 10 miles away in Suitland spotted the vehicle and attempted to make a traffic stop, the report states.

"During the 30-second pursuit, in an attempt to evade the pursuing officer, the speeding suspect turned off the lights of the carjacked vehicle causing the pursuing officer to lose sight of the car," the report adds. "The suspect ultimately crashed into two utility poles in the 4200 block of Silver Hill Road and the car caught fire."

Police tried to save the suspect by putting out the flames and pulling him free of the car, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. They found him in possession of a gun, the report notes.

Image via PGPD