Police: Carjackings Leave One Pedestrian Dead, Another Hurt
NEW CASTLE, Del. (WJZ/AP) — One pedestrian is dead and another is injured after a female suspect carjacked two vehicles in New Castle and caused multiple collisions, Delaware State Police said in a news release on Sunday.
The crime spree ended when an off-duty police officer and a former law enforcement officer apprehended her, state police said.
Police said the incident began about 9:30 a.m. Sunday on New Castle Avenue when a female reportedly carjacked someone. Moments later a pedestrian was fatally struck by the stolen car, police said.
Police said the driver drove off and struck another pedestrian, causing minor injuries. The driver fled the scene and was involved in another collision, police said.
The suspect then carjacked another vehicle, kidnapped a person in the car and fled before ultimately crashing, police said. The driver was then apprehended.
Police have not released information on the person who was arrested or the person who died.
Carjackings have drawn attention in recent years, especially those that have turned deadly. In 2019, the number of carjackings in Baltimore had increased by 30%.
During that time period, the highest increases in carjackings were occurring in southeast and southwest Baltimore.
The following year, police arrested 14 people connected to a series of carjackings across the city.
The Baltimore Police Department announced the arrests in November 2020.
Police said 10 of those carjackings occurred within city limits, noting that eight of them happened in the northwest area. The other two happened in southeast and southwest Baltimore.
Then, in 2021, an attempted carjacking in the 100 block of North Conkling Street turned deadly.
Three juvenile boys assaulted 41-year-old Fabian Mendez as they attempted to take his vehicle.
After the assault, they used the vehicle to run over him.
Mendez was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital where he later died.
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