A 17-year-old driver was fatally shot by a U.S. Park Police officer in Northeast D.C. Saturday, after he dragged another officer with a stolen car while fleeing the scene, authorities said.
A spokesperson with D.C. police identified the driver as Dalaneo Martin, 17, of Northwest D.C. on Sunday morning.
According to U.S. Park Police spokesman Thomas Twiname, around 8:50 a.m. Saturday, a U.S. Park Police officer responded to a call to assist a D.C. police officer with a stolen car in the area of 34th and Baker streets in Northeast.
The officers attempted to detain the driver of the stolen car, but police said Martin attempted to flee the scene in the 300 block of 36th Street NE.
The U.S. Park Police officer was “trapped in the vehicle” and was unable to get out of the car.
A second U.S. Park Police officer was “dragged” by the car as Martin attempted to flee the scene. The officer inside the vehicle fired his weapon and shot the teenager, according to Twiname.
The suspect then crashed the car into a home a few blocks away, Twiname said.
Officers then “rendered aid immediately” to the teenager, but he died of his injuries on the scene, Twiname said. The two U.S. Park Police officers were transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Twiname said the shooting will be investigated by the D.C. police internal affairs division.
Owner of stolen vehicle speaks out
The owner of the stolen vehicle, Porshia McCullum, told WTOP’s news partners at NBC Washington that her friend reached out after spotting her Hyundai Tucson crashed into a home from Interstate 295.
McCullum, a single mom who works two jobs in addition to being a student, said the vehicle was her mode of transportation.
But McCullum also said she wouldn’t want the SUV back (even if it’s drivable) after the loss of a life.
“For someone to actually get killed in the car, it’s sickening,” McCullum told NBC Washington.
WTOP’s Luke Lukert contributed to this report.
