A D.C. man, who was already facing a long list of charges in the District, was hit with more criminal charges Thursday for a string of deadly carjackings, as prosecutors in Prince George’s County, Maryland, announced that a grand jury had handed down a 28-count indictment against him.
Daeyon Ross, 22, faces counts in the indictment including murder, armed carjacking and animal cruelty.
“We believe we will get justice in this case, but obviously nothing can bring back life,” said Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy. “Our job right now is to focus on pursuing justice and that is what we intend to do.”
The crime spree that Ross was accused of occurred earlier this month, spanning from Capitol Heights, Maryland, to Northeast D.C.
Authorities said the series of incidents began when Ross carjacked a Honda CRV in the area of Addison Road South and Rolling Ridge Drive in Capitol Heights.
Ross crashed a short distance away at Central Avenue and Ritchie Road and took off running, police said.
At that point, Ross ended up in a McDonald’s parking lot, where he encountered 56-year-old Kurt Modeste in an Acura ILX in the drive-thru lane. Police said Ross attempted to carjack Modeste and then shot him multiple times.
Modeste managed to drive a short distance after being shot, but died a short time later.
Ross then carjacked a Toyota Scion that was also in the drive-thru lane, police said, and shot and killed two dogs that were inside the vehicle.
Police said Ross then fled in the Scion, heading westbound on Central Avenue toward the District, at which point multiple police agencies, including Prince George’s County police, pursued him into D.C.
At the intersection of 52nd Street and Sheriff Road in Northeast, police said Ross exited the stolen Scion and carjacked another vehicle, a GMC Terrain.
Police said Ross crashed that vehicle short time later. As officers approached, an officer with the Capitol Heights Police Department “engaged with Ross and was involved in an officer-involved shooting,” police said.
Neither the officer nor Ross were struck in the gunfire. Ross was then arrested.
