The Two Seconds He Will Never Forget

Fleeing a Sting

About 10 blocks away, D.C. police officers were conducting a drug sting in the 600 block of Orleans Place NE. An undercover officer had just purchased $25 in crack cocaine from a suspect who was standing next to a brown Honda Accord, police said.

Palmer, who was in the Honda's driver's seat, was not a target of the police activity that day. But he had his own history of trouble with police. He had been in court just three days earlier, on Sept. 8, accused of violating terms of his probation on a drug charge. The judge warned Palmer that he would be jailed if he got into any more trouble.

Sgt. John Brennan and Sgt. Wilfredo Manlapaz, working on the narcotics detail, moved in after the drug buy, pulling their marked police car in front of the Honda. When they got out to arrest the suspect, Palmer accelerated, headed straight at Manlapaz, according to the internal police report.

The sergeant dived into his police car to avoid being hit. As Palmer turned south and raced onto Sixth Street NE, he was spotted by another officer, Joseph Haggerty Jr.

Haggerty, who had two other officers in his car, chased the Honda as it made a hard left onto L Street. He flipped on his lights and siren as the Honda zipped through stop signs at nearly 80 mph. Near Eighth and L streets -- about two blocks from Florida Avenue -- Haggerty thought that the Honda was going too fast to continue chasing, he said in an interview.

About that time, a supervisor radioed officers and ordered them to halt the pursuit, according to the police report. Another officer in the cruiser turned off the lights and siren, and Haggerty slowed down, the report states.

Palmer has told police that he looked in his rearview mirror and saw no officers tailing him as he rounded the bend on Florida Avenue, investigators said.

Palmer continued speeding down Florida, however. He told investigators that he tried to use the Honda's brakes near Montello Avenue but that they did not work. The police report says that the brakes were found to be in working order.

Cars were stopped at the intersection, so Palmer swerved into the oncoming lane to avoid hitting them, he told investigators.

Two witnesses, still haunted by what they saw, recounted the next few seconds in interviews with The Post. They also gave statements to police.

Keenan Patience, 41, was stopped behind several cars at Montello Avenue, waiting for the light to change. He remembers hearing a revving engine and looking out his driver's side window. The Honda blew past him and hit the two children in the crosswalk. Then it hit a Ford Thunderbird, injuring its driver.

Quinton Ivy, 52, had been making a right turn onto Florida Avenue from Montello and watched as Suydan and the children began to cross the street. As Ivy pulled onto Florida, he saw the Honda heading straight for him.