A D.C. police captain is hurt after someone got out of a car and shot at his SUV just blocks from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Fourth District station in Northwest on Monday afternoon, authorities say.
The wounded police captain was able to drive a few blocks to his station, where fellow officers loaded him into a squad car and rushed him to a hospital. His injuries are non-life-threatening, police said.
Two people were taken into custody after a vehicle suspected to be involved in the crime flipped onto its side in Landover, Maryland.
Chief of Police Pamela Smith said the shooter will face consequences.
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“We will not tolerate this kind of violence in our city,” she said at a news conference.
Gunfire on a residential street
Here’s what police said investigators know so far.
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A Fourth District police captain with 18 years on the job was off-duty and headed to work at about noon Monday. He was in his personal car, a black SUV, and not in uniform.
He saw someone driving erratically in front of him. Suddenly, the driver stopped in the 5800 block of Seventh Street NW. A man got out of the car and began shooting at the police captain's SUV. At least two bullets flew into the SUV, sources familiar with the investigation told News4.
A resident said he was sweeping his sidewalk when he heard the shots a block away.
“I was standing right there, sweeping. I heard a bullet went out and I said, ‘My God,’” Joseph Moise said.
The police captain drove a few blocks west to the police station at 6001 Georgia Ave. NW. He drove onto the lawn and staggered into the station for help. His colleagues drove him to MedStar Washington Hospital Center in a squad car.
Law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation initially told News4 the police captain was shot inside the police station.
It was not immediately clear if the police captain was shot or if he was hit by broken glass, Smith said.
As the car with the man who shot at him sped away, the police captain was able to get a vehicle description and a partial license plate number, which he broadcast over his police radio. D.C.’s new Real-Time Crime Center pushed out information on the vehicle to police departments across the region.
A car flips and 2 persons of interest are taken into custody
Police spotted the suspect vehicle and a chase began in Prince George's County. Witnesses said they saw the driver of the suspect vehicle speeding at 70 or 80 mph as officers trailed him in Landover, on Landover Road at Dodge Park Road. It's about nine miles east of the shooting scene.
A man in the area said he was walking his dog when he saw the police chase and crash.
“As he smacked into the car, he basically flipped over, almost turned over, and then that car proceeded to get pushed forward. It sounded like a big thunder. You know how you see thunder, boom? You see the glass everywhere and it was just -- then you see the cops swarm,” Louis Freeman said.
The persons of interest, both men, were taken into custody without incident after the car flipped.
News4 video shows a blue sedan on its side. Several D.C. officers could be seen, alongside Prince George's County police and Metro Transit Police.
No information on the suspects or a possible motive was released.
The wounded police captain was with his family and underwent tests, police said. A number of officers could be seen outside MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
The police captain's SUV could be seen outside the 4D police station, in the Brightwood/Petworth area. What appeared to be bullet holes could be seen in the front passenger side window.
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In 2023, 378 police officers were shot in the line of duty, according to the Fraternal Order of Police. That’s the highest number the FOP has ever recorded. Officers just marked National Police Week last week.
