The fatal crash took place just after 4 a.m., at the intersection of 14th and Columbia. News4’s Derrick Ward reports.
Editor’s note (Monday, Dec. 2, 8:51 a.m.): Police initially said the man was driving a motorized bike. They later said it was a motorcycle.
A motorcycle driver died after crashing into the side of an unmarked D.C. police cruiser in Columbia Heights early Saturday morning, police said.
The fatal crash took place at the intersection of Columbia Road and 13th Street just after 4:15 a.m., police said.
According to D.C. police, an on-duty police commander was driving an unmarked cruiser westbound on Columbia Road, heading through the intersection during a green light.
The motorcycle driver went through a red light "at a high rate of speed" and hit the side of the commander's cruiser, police said. The cruiser ended up crashing into a fence.
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The police commander immediately started performing first aid and called emergency first responders, according to a statement from the Metropolitan Police Department.
D.C. Fire and EMS responded and tried to save the motorcyclist's life, but he died at the scene of the crash, police said. Police have only identified the motorcycle driver as a man.
Police said he was driving a 2023 Yamaha XT250 that was not registered.
The police commander was not injured. They were not responding to a call at the time. The flashing lights and sirens were not activated, police said. Their name has not been released.
Hours after the crash, debris from the car and the motorcycle were still visible in the gutter along the street. Pieces of metal and plastic sat in the intersection near the sidewalk.
There is no bodycam footage of the crash or the first aid, police said, but there is a nearby ShotSpotter camera that police are examining for evidence.
The police commander was placed on administrative leave, which is standard policy for the department after such incidents.
Editor's note (Monday, Dec. 2 at 8:40 a.m.): Police initially said the man who crashed was driving a motorized bike. They later said it was a motorcycle. This article has been updated.
