Family and friends are grieving after the death of Esmeralda Montoya-Perez, a 33-year-old mother of two. She was fatally struck by a car Friday night on East-West Highway in Hyattsville, Maryland, police said.
Montoya-Perez was waiting for a bus on her way home, said family spokesperson Ana López. It all started just after 10 p.m. down the road, when an officer pulled over a Lincoln sedan. The driver initially stopped but then sped off, Hyattsville police said.
Police say the officer pursued the car for a short way before calling off the chase as both cars were approaching the intersection of East-West Highway and 23rd Avenue. The Lincoln driver went through the intersection, sped onto the shoulder and hit Montoya-Perez on the side of the road, police said.
Police identified the driver as 23-year-old Warren Leonard. He was arrested at the scene.
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A representative for the Maryland attorney general's office said Leonard had an outstanding warrant for second-degree rape and had a gun with an extended magazine with him at the time of the crash.
Montoya-Perez's 8-year-old daughter had been waiting at home for her mother, López said. The victim also leaves behind a 16-year-old and a devastated community.
Friends told Telemundo44 that Montoya-Perez was a standout on her softball team and an all-star on and off the field.
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They organized an online fundraiser to help her grieving family, and they’re organizing a tournament in her honor this weekend.
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The attorney general’s office said the officer had a body-worn camera and dashboard camera and said body camera video is typically released less than three weeks later.
