WASHINGTON — A Maryland man pleaded guilty Tuesday to hitting and killing a Smithsonian employee as he was cycling to work in September.
Phillip Peoples, 20, of Suitland, Maryland, admitted responsibility for the hit-and-run crash that killed 64-year-old Thomas Hendricks Hollowell of Arlington, Virginia, according to court records. Peoples was arrested in October.
Initially charged with second-degree murder, Peoples took a plea deal with the reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter, court documents reflect.
Hollowell was cycling into work at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History around 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 24 when he was struck near 12th and Constitution Avenue Northwest, D.C. police said. At the time, police said the driver of a dark sedan ran a red light, struck Hollowell and sped away.
His death sparked the cycling community around Washington to speak out for cyclist safety and demand action of city hall.
