Carjacking Suspect Dies After Chase Through D.C.

Man Is Cornered, Shot in Pr. George's

A carjacking suspect was fatally shot by police last night after he led authorities on a wild rush-hour chase through the District and Prince George's County, fled on foot and then held a hostage at gunpoint, authorities said.

A little after 6 p.m., police surrounded the gunman in the Riverdale area of Prince George's as he aimed his weapon at a teenager's head, D.C. Assistant Police Chief Diane Groomes said.

Soon after, two D.C. officers and one officer from Prince George's fired at the gunman, said Cpl. Clinton Copeland of the Prince George's County police. It was not immediately clear whether the gunman discharged his weapon.

The gunman was taken to Prince George's County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said. The hostage was not injured.

The carjacking was one of several outbreaks of violence in the region last night. In an unrelated incident, four men were shot, two of them critically, in the Columbia Heights area of Northwest Washington.

The carjacking began about 5 p.m. in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Northwest, when a woman driving a black BMW station wagon was approached by a gunman on a bicycle, Groomes said.

The man took control of the vehicle in the 1700 block of Columbia Road NW and drove off. The woman was not hurt.

Within the hour, D.C. police spotted the vehicle and a chase ensued across streets packed with Halloween-night traffic, Groomes said.

Police from Prince George's joined the pursuit when the vehicle crossed into the county.

At Kenilworth Avenue and Riverdale Road, the station wagon crashed into a median and the gunman fled on foot, weapon in hand, Groomes said.

The man spotted two teenagers who had just left a Hispanic bakery. One teen fought the gunman and ran away, Groomes said. The gunman pointed the weapon at the other teen's head, Groomes said.

After the officers fired shots, the gunman was taken to the hospital. His age was not known last night, and police did not release his name.

A .40-caliber gun was recovered at the scene, Groomes said.

Last night, police from the District and Prince George's were investigating the circumstances that led officers to open fire.

In the Columbia Heights case, four men were wounded in a drive-by shooting at 14th and Harvard streets NW, said Larry McCoy, commander of the 3rd Police District.

After a preliminary investigation, officers think that at least one person in a green minivan opened fire on several people standing on the sidewalk about 10:20 p.m., McCoy said.

As the gunfire started, the victims ran into the lobby of a 10-story apartment building in the 2900 block of 14th Street, McCoy said. Two were struck in a leg, he said, and at least one was struck in the back.