Driver In Fatal Crash With Mom, Child Enters Plea

LANDOVER, MD — The driver of a stolen vehicle police say ran a red light and hit a vehicle driven by a Washington, D.C., mother and injured her child, has pleaded guilty.

Michael Collins, who was 17 at the time of the fatal crash last fall, has pleaded guilty to one count of grossly negligent manslaughter by motor vehicle and one count of auto theft. He was charged as an adult.

According to the Prince George's Police Department, on Aug. 26, 2025, around 3:50 p.m., Seat Pleasant police officers say a vehicle that had been reported stolen Aug. 22, 2025, was in the area of Seat Pleasant Drive and Joplin Street. Officers followed the vehicle, which sped up while on Sheriff Road and red a red light at the intersection with Martin Luther King Jr. Highway.

That's when the stolen vehicle hit the side of 35-year-old Shaunte Canty's vehicle, which was eastbound on Martin Luther King Jr. Highway. Canty died at the scene, according to police. Canty's 4-year-old child was taken to the hospital, as were three of the teenage boys in the stolen vehicle. The fourth teen, later identified as Collins, was taken into police custody.

“While today’s plea marks an important step in this case, it cannot restore what was stolen from Shaunte’s family,” said Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson. “Her future was tragically cut short because of the reckless behavior of this defendant, and this incident is a sobering reminder that such decisions on the road can have devastating and irreversible consequences. We hope this outcome brings some measure of accountability and justice to Shaunte’s family as they continue to grieve her loss.”

Collins will be sentenced on Aug. 28. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. The state will seek seven years, which is the top of the guidelines according to the Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy’s Guidelines, Jackson stated.