16-year-old and woman shot at local car meetups

A car meetup that drew about 100 people to Woodbridge early Saturday ended with a 16-year-old boy shot and suffering life-threatening injuries — and Prince William County police searching for the shooter.

According to authorities, participants got together around 2 a.m. for the meetup.

“I guess there was some sort of altercation. There was a shooting and then our victim was struck in the upper body,” Lt. Jonathan Perok said.

The teen suffered life-threatening injuries. Investigators are still searching for the shooter, and they are asking for the public’s help.

“Since there were multiple people in attendance, we’re sure someone has some sort of information that can help us track down who our shooter is,” Perok said.

The teen wasn’t the only victim at a car meetup.

In addition to the 16-year-old, a woman took herself to University of Maryland Capital Region Hospital around 4 a.m. after being shot at a meetup in the 300 block of Beaver Road.

“… People have been injured and killed at car meet ups. And despite all warnings from the Chief, people continue to put themselves at risk. Property and cars are damaged. Many drivers are there to sell dangerous drugs and are in possession of weapons,” Prince George’s County police said in a social media post.

Police across the region have been reminding people attending car meetups to remain vigilant.

“Car meets in this region, not just in Prince William County, but across the DMV, are known to occur,” Perok said.

“Typically, we get advised of them and try to disperse crowds when we know about them. I don’t believe we knew about this one prior to the shooting taking place.”

Car lovers can also opt for events that are hosted by organizations in the region, which include security precautions.

“We would obviously encourage folks that if they like cars, if they’re into that scene, that they attend actual events that are a little more organized and structured,” Perok said.

See a map of the location of the shooting below: