D.C. Area Crash Kills 2, Injures 15

(CBS/AP)  Police are looking for a motorcycle rider being blamed for a fatal, seven-car, chain-reaction crash on the Capital Beltway.

At least two people were killed and 15 injured — including two Prince George's County police officers — in the crash near Ritchie Marlboro Road. The highway was closed in both directions for hours during the rescue, cleanup and investigation.

CBS affiliate WUSA correspondent Doug Buchanan reports that it began with a police chase, in which an officer was trying to stop a speeding motorcycle on the Inner Loop.

At about 7 p.m. the police cruiser was heading fast along the shoulder as the motorcycle was moving fast on the opposite shoulder. The police officer appeared to lose control of his vehicle and rear-ended a pickup truck. That vehicle flipped over the guardrail and rolled down an embankment onto the Outer Loop, where five other cars were hit.

An off-duty officer driving on the Outer Loop was flown to a trauma center. The officer who tried to stop the biker is also hospitalized, but his injuries aren't considered life-threatening.

"I've been on law enforcement a long time, and I've been on a number of tough scenes, and this is a tough scene," said Chief Melvin High of the Prince George's County Police Department.

The biker sped away. Police say they are looking for a black motorcycle. In addition to eyewitness accounts, the police cruiser's in-car camera is also being checked.

Although the Beltway was later reopened to traffic, state highway officials will start rolling two-lane closures across the Beltway starting at 10 a.m. Thursday as part of the accident reconstruction.

[bostonblakie-2009]

Vehicular pursuits at high speeds by the police are almost NEVER worth the risk that they pose to public safety. Law enforcement officials must review the usefulness of this tactic and consider alternatives before more innocent lives are needlessly lost or shattered.

[mountainzen]

Sounds like the police are guilty of manslaughter here. Unless the motorcyclist was fleeing a murder scene or felonious assault, the police should have backed off. They knew they were putting people at risk, and then they accidentally killed two people, and injured even more. Isn't that the textbook definition of depraved indifference to life? You know, there are children, elderly on the roads. Crazy, overzealous cops. Do they think a cruiser can out race a motorcycle? Add stupid to their resume'.

Throw the book at the cops. They had the opportunity to prevent this.

Once again the innocent pay with their lives, the guilty get away, or get away with murder.

[cepe10-2009]

For the record, exceeding the posted speed limit is ILLEGAL for law enforcement officers as well in MD unless they are in pursuit or on a legitimate emergency call and have both lights and sirens going.

As a resident I have NEVER EVER seen a MD law enforcement officer obeying this law, normally they are going between 85-90 MPH and tailgating during commutes. So apparently they themselves do not take that law too seriously.:)

If a speeder hits me and causes injury/damamges that is a different crime entirely Reckless/negligence etc. - one with a victim...

[cepe10-2009]

(b) Enumeration of privileges.- Under the circumstances stated in subsection (a) of this section, the driver of an emergency vehicle may:


(3) Exceed any maximum speed limit, but only so long as the driver does not endanger life or property; and

This law enforcement officer broke the law by endangering life and property.

He is a criminal. That is a fact. No matter what excuses his superior's come up with he is the individual who misjudged his abilities, lost control of the vehicle he was driving, rammed another vehicle, and killed innocents. Hopefully he will be charged with vehiclular manslaughter which is waht he deserves but since the MD law enforcement officer's police themselves this will propably not happen and they can continue to be criminals and kill innocent civilians.

[drputt45]

Chances are the cyclist may have been an illegal immigrant and would receive amnesty anyway.

[noview1]

1. If the car or motorcycle is stolen, then the plates have no impact, and they can't find the person.

2. Innocent civilion's don't run from the police. Criminal's run from the police.

3. Aerial support is not necessarily on scene waiting for a chase. If they were, people would complain that they are wasting fuel flying around.

4. Hindsight is always 20/20.

[lawandorder6]

If the police are so right, wht do some states havd laws "ABOUT POLICE and CHASING PEOPLE In CARS? The POLICE are WRONG. there are other ways to get bad guys, with out hurting Innocent people.

[invirginia]

People who try to outrun the police are trying to escape for a reason and it's the duty of the police to catch them and find out why. The police did nothing wrong. The motorcyclist started this whole tragic chain of events--it's on his shoulders, not the police.

[kennethsmom-2009]

My condolences to the family and friends of those who were killed in this tragic accident.

What you all fail to realize is that it's easy to play Monday Morning Quarterback when things like this happen. The problem in this society today is that people just don't have any respect for authority or for others. We are living in an "It's all about me society."

Some of you seem to think that police officers should not persue drivers who are speeding and then refuse to pull over because in your opinion "it's not that big of a deal." Well when does breaking the law, any law, become a big deal in this society?

You want to cops to go hard after the murderer's and rapist and child molesters but then you say don't worry about the speeders and red light runners. But guess what ya'll that speeder or the red light runner might very well be the murderer, the rapist, the child molester.

Instead of putting the blame on the cops lets hold the law breakers responsible for their actions.

God bless you all and I wish you nothing but safety and freedom from the actions of law breakers.

[craash1]

Both are at fault, the Biker and the Police! The biker was irresponsible for speeding and not stopping for the police, and the Police for not having sense enough to know when to stop and go with the evidence on tape and arrest the driver later. Innocent lives have forever been changed because of everyones poor choices.