Police pursuit begins in Suitland, ends with fatality in District

Monday, May 14, 2007

Police pursuit begins in Suitland, ends with fatality in District

by Sarah Nemeth | Staff Writer

E-mail this article \ Print this article

A police pursuit that began early Sunday morning in Suitland and ended in the District left a Forestville man injured and a District resident dead.

Prince George’s County police responded to reports of a shooting at the 3800 block of Regency Parkway in Suitland where a 17-year-old man had been shot. Police then pursued a 1997 Oldsmobile that had been seen fleeing the scene, said Cpl. Diane Richardson.

The driver of the car, Erika Epps, 19, of the District, allegedly stopped during the chase and then took off again, Richardson said. Epps later lost control of the car at the intersection of Suitland Road and Southern Avenue in the District.

The vehicle, traveling westbound on Suitland Road, hit a utility pole and a tree before coming to a stop in the road, according to a report from the Metropolitan Police Department.

Allen Thomas, 24, of Forestville, who was a passenger in the back seat of the car, was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Another passenger, Elden Woodland, 23, of the District, was pronounced dead at the scene the District’s medical examiner, reports stated.

Epps, who was found hiding under a car nearby, was charged with carrying a pistol without a license after police found a gun in the car. An unidentified male passenger escaped, police said.

The crash is under investigation by the District’s Major Crash Investigations Unit and the Sixth District.