A Secret Service officer said that a car driver hit three persons on Constitution Avenue NW while escaping officers who tried to pull him over, fatally wounding one of them.
The incident occurred on Wednesday just before 1:30 p.m. in the 1700 block of Constitution Avenue NW, close to the National Mall and the Ellipse.
The Secret Service claimed that when a Honda Accord’s tag expired, uniformed Secret Service officers attempted to stop the vehicle at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 17th Street NW. According to Lt. Paul Mayhair of the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division, the driver gave the impression that they would stop, but instead sped south on 17th Street NW, cutting through a red light and striking three individuals in the crosswalk.
A 75-year-old Philadelphian man who was one of the victims was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Mayhair reported that he died in the hospital. According to USPP, a 13-year-old girl was also taken to the hospital but was later treated and released. The vehicle’s last known location was on 17th Street heading south.
According to U.S. Park Police, nearby roads were shut down as a result of the incident but have now been reopened. Police officers are still looking for the driver who struck the two people. Authorities are looking for the suspect and a blue 2006 Honda Accord with Virginia tags 8718BE.
