Crime & Safety
Girlfriend of Officer Killed Says He Tried to Stop Speeder
Prince George's County Police say the fatal accident happened as the officer made a traffic stop, while driving his girlfriend home.
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A Prince George’s County Police officer was driving his girlfriend home Saturday morning when a speeding car flew past the cruiser, prompting the officer to pursue, and fatally crash.
The department says Brennan Rabain, 26, was off duty until he decided to make a traffic stop. His police cruiser crashed into a wooden fence in the 9500 block of Greenbelt Road in Lanham.
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WTOP reports the accident happened about 3:30 a.m. when Rabain’s car crashed into a wooden fence. Authorities still don’t know what caused the wreck.
“The closest thing that we can get from her was that a vehicle was at a high rate of speed. The officer made a statement about ‘this guy’s going to kill someone,’” Prince George’s County Police Chief Mark Magaw told WTOP.
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Rabain’s girlfriend told investigators he was trying to slow or stop the speeding car when his patrol car went out of control, Magaw says. The department allows off-duty officers to drive civilians in the cruisers assigned to them.
Area red-light cameras captured footage of a dark-colored minivan and a white bus on the road at the same time as Rabain, and police want to talk to the drivers of those vehicles.
Police say Rabain’s girlfriend suffered minor injuries in the crash. She was taken to the hospital and treated for her injuries and extreme emotional distress.
Detectives are trying to learn more about the fleeing vehicle.
The police departmnt’s blogs says, “When we have definitive information about the vehicle, we’ll share that with our community.”
“He was a young officer. Loved this department, loved this county,” Magaw said. “He was a fine officer.”
Rabain had been on the force for less than two years and leaves behind a 3-year-old daughter, Samiyah, the department says.
A memorial fund for Rabain’s family has been set up online on GoFundMe.com. As of Monday afternoon, $12,000 had been donated.
Anyone with information about this fatal crash is asked to call the Prince George’s County Police Department at (301) 731-4422. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) or text “PGPD plus your message” to CRIMES (274637) on your cell phone or go tohttp://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/police and submit a tip online.
PHOTOS: Prince George’s County Police Officer Brennan Rabain and his daughter. Courtesy of GoFundMe.
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