A current and a former D.C. police officer accused of racing two marked cruisers that crashed on a street in Northeast Washington have been charged with reckless driving and other traffic offenses, according to court records.
A police spokeswoman said Khan, who was a new officer on probationary status at the time of the incident, has been fired. Millington was suspended. Two other officers who were passengers in the vehicles remain on suspended duty and under investigation.
Last week, D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III called the incident “embarrassing.”
A passenger in one of the cruisers — both Ford Taurus models — turned on his body-worn camera during the purported race, which court documents say lasted 23 seconds and covered two-tenths of a mile. The cruisers reached speeds of nearly 50 mph before they crashed into each other, with one spinning and striking a private fence, according to the documents.
Police estimated $9,800 in damage to one vehicle and nearly $12,000 to the other. Speed limits on residential streets in the District are generally 25 mph.
The officers from the 6th District station were charged Thursday by the office of D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine (D).
“When people threaten public safety and the residents of the District by driving recklessly on our roadways, we hold them accountable,” Racine said in a statement.
Neither Khan — whose first name is spelled “Humais” in District payroll records — nor Millington could be reached for comment Monday. A person at a number for Khan in Staten Island, N.Y., hung up on a reporter last week. Court documents list addresses for the officers as a police station in Northeast Washington.
Attorneys for the officers are not listed on court filings, and a union representative declined to comment.
The incident occurred April 22 along Anacostia Avenue NE, a residential street near Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens.
Court documents filed Monday say both drivers positioned their cruisers in the middle of the road at Ponds Street, facing south on Anacostia Avenue. Khan and Millington briefly talked — body-camera video shows the male driver using a phone — before the court document says both officers accelerated.
When they reached Polk Street, the court documents say, Millington turned her cruiser left, into the path of the cruiser driven by Khan. He tried to swerve out of the way but struck the driver’s side of Millington’s squad car, which spun through the intersection and struck a wooden fence.
The court records say investigators determined Khan’s vehicle reached a top speed of 48 mph. The records state Millington’s cruiser, five seconds before impact, was traveling 49 mph.
The impact of the collision caused air bags to deploy in both vehicles. Khan suffered burns and cuts to his right arm; Millington had back pain and a headache, the court documents state. The passengers also reported injuries, including to their heads, legs, arms and knees.
Body-camera video from the passenger in the cruiser driven by Khan shows the steering wheel, part of the dashboard and a view out of the front windshield, pointing slightly upward. There is no audio until the crash occurs.
The video shows the passenger stumbling out of the cruiser. Someone asks, “Are you all right?” He answers, “Yeah, I’m good.”