A man charged with murder and assault after police say he hit two women, killing one, while trying to get away from Secret Service officers in D.C. Friday night was convicted in the 2020 robbery of a Maryland gas station, but his three-year prison sentence was suspended, court records show.
Two Secret Service officers on bikes stopped 35-year-old Spiro Stafilatos on New York Avenue near 15th Street NW because the Buick LeSabre he was driving was not registered and had an incorrect license plate, the Metropolitan Police Department said.
Stafilatos drove off in the Buick, and a Secret Service vehicle pursued. He ran a red light at New York Avenue and 14th Street NW, where he hit a car that had the green light, police said.
The Buick then spun around with great force and hit two women who were crossing the street, police said.
Both women suffered serious injuries in the crash, and one died a short time later at a hospital. The woman who survived remains in critical condition, police said Saturday.
Officers arrested Stafilatos at the scene and took him to a hospital, where he tested positive for cocaine and marijuana, according to court documents. His injuries were not life-threatening, police said.
Court records show Stafilatos was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison for robbing a gas station in Silver Spring, Maryland, in 2020, but the court suspended the three-year sentence and ordered him to be on probation. It's unclear at this time if he was still on probation at the time of the deadly crash.
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Police have charged Stafilatos with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, no permit and misuse of tags.
Stay with News4 for more on this developing story.
