Updated July 23. The original version of this story contained an error; it referred to an acting chief. The Hyattsville Police Department is still led by Chief Jarod Towers. 

By ZEPHAN MATTESON

Hyattsville Police arrested two juvenile suspects on Sunday, July 20, after the juveniles crashed a stolen car in the city and fled on foot.

Some Hyattsville residents feel that the police failed to properly alert the community of the potentially dangerous situation, according to comments on the online listserv Hyattsville Organization for a Positive Environment (HOPE).

The incident began at 3:10 p.m. when an officer attempted a traffic stop on a Hyundai Sedan, which immediately sped off and crashed into another car at the intersection of Jefferson Street and 42nd Ave., according to a statement from the Hyattsville Police Department (HPD).

The two suspects fled the vehicle and were pursued by Hyattsville police, who also requested help from Mount Rainier and Prince George’s County police. A Maryland state police helicopter was also called in to assist, according to the HPD.

The first suspect was found in a citizen’s backyard on the 4200 block of Kennedy Street after the citizen told officers she had seen a person matching the suspect’s description run behind her house. The second suspect was apprehended on 43rd Ave.

Police confirmed that the two suspects were both juveniles and that the police found a BB gun in the suspects’ vehicle. Police also confirmed that the vehicle had been stolen, after officers checked the car’s identification numbers.

As these events unfolded, Hyattsville residents were posting updates online on HOPE, with one resident even posting pictures of the suspect that her own security camera took. Many people wanted to know why they hadn’t received an emergency alert about the incident from the HPD.

Hyattsville uses a program called Nixle to send out emergency alerts to residents. For this incident, no such alert was sent out.

Councilmember Joanne Waszczak (Ward 1) wrote in a post on HOPE that she was told that on-duty police staff were limited, had focused on apprehending the suspects, and that by the time the police had enough capacity to send a notification, the incident had already concluded.

The HPD included a description of the incident in a crime report posted July 23.

Waszczak asked that residents contact council members directly with concerns.