Police in Virginia said they arrested on Saturday a Prince George’s County man who had stolen several vehicles, including an ambulance, and crashed into more than a dozen cars during a chase that started in the Virginia suburbs and ended in the District.
Virginia State Police said they took Darell T. Caldwell, 30, of Brandywine, into custody Saturday evening after he collided head-on with a parked car near the intersection of 14th and D streets in Northwest.
Caldwell was taken to a hospital after the crash. He faces federal and criminal charges from Virginia State Police and Arlington County Police.
A person who was inside the parked car was treated for minor injuries at the scene.
Authorities said Caldwell’s auto theft spree began when he stole a truck in Falls Church and crashed the vehicle into another car around 3:40 p.m. Saturday on Interstate 66 near Rosslyn.
The driver was taken to hospital for minor injuries. Caldwell fled the scene in the same stolen vehicle, police said.
Minutes later, Caldwell used the same stolen truck to crash into multiple vehicles on northbound Interstate 395 near the George Washington Parkway exit.
He bailed out of the truck and ran from the scene, police said. Five people were taken to the hospital as a result of the incident.
MUST SEE: This is an enhanced video of the crash just before the bridge plus some of the stolen ambulance chase into DC. From @SafetyVid & @Statter911. Media DM me if interested in video. @ARLnowDOTcom #395rampage @TomJackmanWP pic.twitter.com/8KdrNRqjSw
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) August 12, 2023
State police said the suspect was responsible for a wrong-way collision on the George Washington Parkway shortly afterward when he crashed another stolen truck into a vehicle.
Arlington County medical responders arrived to treat the victims, at which point Caldwell hopped inside the ambulance and sped off, police said.
The medics waved down a state trooper and told the officer about the stolen ambulance, prompting the trooper to give chase through parts of Pentagon City and Crystal City.
Authorities said Caldwell eventually stopped in the road and the trooper got out of his car to approach the suspect. That’s when police said he reversed the ambulance into the trooper’s patrol car and drove off again.
Virginia State Police and Arlington County Police pursued the suspect into the District, where he crashed into the parked car and was arrested.
Police said Caldwell is being investigated for 13 hit-and-run crashes that he initiated while driving the ambulance. No motorists or police officers were seriously injured, according to authorities.
Caldwell pleaded guilty in 2020 to misdemeanor assault charges in Maryland, according to court records.
D.C. court records show there is an active bench warrant for Caldwell’s arrest after he skipped a June hearing on property damage charges.
Caldwell is accused of stealing a car in Northeast in April, but his getaway was cut short when he got stuck trying to drive over train tracks.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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