WASHINGTON – Charges are pending against a woman who was driving an SUV that collided with Officer Kevin Bowden’s police car Thursday afternoon.
Bowden, 28, had finished his shift and was headed north on Branch Avenue when the collision occurred around 3 p.m. near the intersection of Surratts Road.
Prince George’s County Police Chief Mark Magaw says the woman driver had originally been in the left turn lane and made a decision to cross several lanes of traffic – ultimately colliding with Bowden’s cruiser which then crashed into a utility pole.
The woman was taken to the hospital and had sustained non-life threatening injuries. Bowden was taken to a separate hospital, where he died.
Investigators say Bowden was speeding, and he was not wearing a seat belt. This is the second time in two months that a Prince George’s police officer has died in an accident while not wearing a seat belt.
In August, Officer Adrian Morris, 23, was killed on Interstate 95 in Beltsville, Md. when he lost control of his cruiser and crashed into a ravine. He and his partner were on a high-speed chase.
Magaw says the police have interviewed a number of witnesses to the accident on Branch Avenue.
If you have information about the accident, contact Prince George’s County police at 1-866-411-8477.
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WTOP’s Veronica Robinson contributed to this report. Follow WTOP on Twitter. (Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
