Stolen Car Jumps Curb Near School In NW, Injures 3

A student, a teacher and a security officer at a District elementary school were seriously injured just after classes let out yesterday when a speeding stolen car jumped a curb and hit them, authorities said.

The incident, which provoked tears, terror and pandemonium, occurred about 3:45 p.m. outside Whittier Elementary at Fifth and Sheridan streets in the Takoma area of upper Northwest Washington.

"I saw the car come down on the sidewalk, hit the kid and keep on going until it hit a tree," said Paris Penamon, a custodian at Calvin Coolidge High School, which is across the street.

He said there was "no chance to see the car coming. All you heard was like a car burning rubber, hitting the kids, everybody going in the air."

A 18-year-old was taken into custody after a pursuit by a teacher and a former Coolidge student. Police said they were seeking three other people.

The injured student, who was described as about 10 years old, suffered a fractured thigh, according to Mafara Hobson, a schools spokeswoman.

Both of the teacher's legs were fractured, and the security officer suffered cuts, Hobson said.

All three were taken to hospitals. Police said none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.

As many as 20 students were in the area where the car jumped the curb. The teacher was "trying to protect" them when she was struck, said Tenia Pritchard, a teachers union representative.

She said the teacher, who is not being identified because she is a witness, posts herself in front of the school each day and waits for every student to leave before she goes home.

When the incident occurred, Pritchard said, the teacher "was trying to move students out of the way."

A staff meeting was underway on an upper floor of the school when it was interrupted by "a lot of commotion," Pritchard said.