Nine people were hurt -- including a child who has serious injuries and two police officers who have minor injuries -- after a man stole a pickup truck and crashed into a minivan packed with people in Herndon, Virginia, Wednesday night.
The suspect assaulted a child in the Centreville area, stole a truck, caused the violent crash and then ran from officers who chased him, Fairfax County police said.
As of Thursday afternoon, five children, a woman and the suspect are still hospitalized. One child who was thrown out of the minivan during the crash remains in critical condition. The others have injuries that are not life-threatening, police said.
The suspect is 28-year-old Brendan Stefon Vinson, of Adelphi, Maryland, police said in an update Thursday afternoon. Vinson is charged with carjacking, speed to elude, assaulting police officers and receiving stolen property.
Police said Vinson's alleged crime spree started about 7:45 p.m. Thursday when he randomly knocked on the door of a home on Early Autumn Drive in Centreville and hit a young child who answered the door.
Vinson then fled in a car that was reported carjacked in Hyattsville earlier that evening before crashing into a pickup truck at Stone Road and Lee Highway, police said. He then carjacked the driver of the pickup truck, police said.
Responding officers saw Vinson flee in the stolen pickup truck with a trailer attached and tried to stop him. Vinson led police on a brief pursuit, before crashing into a van packed with people, including several children, at Centreville Road and Frying Pan Road, police said. Chopper4 footage showed the wreckage.
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The suspect then jumped out of the car and fled on foot. Officers chased him and he fought them, police said, leaving two officers with minor injuries.
"He fought the officers," Lt. Rex Pagerie said Wednesday night.
All seven people who were inside the van were rushed to hospitals. A child in the van was flown via helicopter. One officer who chased the suspect on foot also was taken to a hospital, police said.
Police said Vinson will face multiple additional charges.
Roads near the crash were closed for hours Wednesday night.
