At about 10:15 p.m. on Feb. 28, a driver fleeing an attempted traffic stop by Hyattsville police struck and killed a pedestrian along East-West Highway in Chillum, according to a press release issued by the state’s attorney general’s office.
The driver reportedly stopped briefly in the 3300 block of East-West Highway but then fled, heading west. The officer initially followed but stopped his pursuit of the Lincoln sedan soon after crossing into Chillum, with both cars heading towards the intersection of East-West Highway and 23rd Avenue.
According to the press release, the sedan went through the intersection, sped onto the shoulder of East-West Highway and hit a pedestrian on the roadside. The pedestrian, later identified as 33-year-old Esmeralda Montoya-Perez, of Riverdale Park, was pronounced dead on the scene.
The driver, 23-year-old Warren Leonard, of the District, was taken into custody and transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. According to a Hyattsville Police Department press release, he was charged with possession of a firearm and had an outstanding warrant for second-degree rape.
The Maryland State Highway Administration’s pedestrian safety plan has proposed various improvements for this intersection of East-West Highway and 23rd Avenue, including reducing or eliminating channelized right-turn lanes and adding hardened centerlines that aim to slow left-turning vehicles.
The Independent Investigation Division (IID) of the Office of the Attorney General and the Maryland State Police Crash Team are investigating the incident, as of press time. If you have any information about the investigation, contact the IID at 410.576.7070 or IID@oag.state.md.us.