Two Capitol Police Officers Hurt in Car Chase
Prince George’s County Police will charge a District man with felony assault after he injured two Capitol Police officers during a car chase that began in D.C. but ended in Maryland on Wednesday.
Capitol Police may also charge Steven Bernard Cox, 20, but they must first receive a warrant to return the suspect to the District of Columbia, a police spokeswoman said.
The incident leading to Cox’s arrest began around 11:15 a.m. when two Capitol Police officers attempted to stop his vehicle near 40 P St. SE, a police facility.
“An officer on foot attempted to stop the vehicle for a traffic infraction,” Capitol Police spokeswoman Jessica Gissubel said. The vehicle failed to stop and struck a different officer while fleeing the scene, she added.
In the ensuing chase, Capitol Police officers followed the vehicle across the South Capitol Street Bridge toward Suitland Parkway.
The chase ended near Pennsylvania and Southern avenues in Prince George’s County, when the suspect attempted to make a U-turn but struck a police cruiser head-on, injuring a second officer.
At that point, Gissubel said, Cox attempted to flee the scene of the second accident in his vehicle but was stopped by officers.
While the driver was arrested, the vehicle’s three other occupants — a 19-year-old female, a 17-year-old female and an infant — were not taken into custody. The three passengers “were cooperative and did assist our investigators,” Gissubel said.
The injured officers were transported to area hospitals for treatment, Gissubel said, adding that both were conscious and neither had suffered “life-threatening” injuries.
The officer involved in the second collision, who was injured when glass broke during the accident, was released from the hospital Wednesday, Gissubel said.