Crash Kills Mother, Son In Police Chase; 5 Officers Suspended

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — A mother and her son died Thursday after a police chase ended with a fatal vehicle crash, a report says, and several police officers have been suspended. The mother and driver, Lynda Ann Jones, was 62; her son, Richard Sylvester Jones, was 42. Both were from Capitol Heights.

The chase started around 4:45 p.m. at a gas station on the 7500 block of Old Branch Avenue. Prince George's County police arrived after the cashier complained about customers "acting in an unusual manner" at the gas pump.

A police report says one officer spoke briefly with the Joneses before the mother drove away. A 6.7-mile chase through Clinton ensued. The chase ended when the Joneses' SUV "crashed into at least two utility poles on Old Branch Avenue near Tarquin Avenue," the report says.

Prince George's County police said they have suspended five officers involved in the chase as they launched an investigation. Police are investigating both the crash and the officers involved. They ask anybody with information to call 301-516-5721.

It is not immediately clear who the officers are or whether they are suspended with pay. Police also did not say what "unusual manner" warranted the call. Patch requested more information from the police department and is awaiting a response.

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