D.C. man charged in high-speed chase that ended in Route 1 wreck

Pieces of the crashed vehicle are seen on Richmond Highway near the intersection of Fordson Road. (Image courtesy of Aldaid Rodriguez)

A Washington D.C. man was charged last week in connection with a high-speed police chase that ended in a violent crash on June 22. 

Larry David Rice, 45, was allegedly the driver of a stolen Buick Century that led police on a nearly 1.5 mile chase on Richmond Highway. The Buick crashed into a light pole near the intersection of Fordson Road after an officer made contact with car during the execution of a PIT maneuver (short for “Precision Immobilization Technique”), according to police. 

The force of the impact split the Buick, and sent Watkins and two passengers — a 56-year-old Upper Marlboro man and a 73-year-old Washington D.C. man — to the hospital with serious injuries. The extent of the injuries suffered is unclear, and it is not know if any remain hospitalized. Police spokeswoman Tawny Wright said the two passengers are not expected to face charges.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash. 

The charges against Rice include:

• Disregarding signal by law-enforcement officer to stop; eluding police (felony)
• Possession of stolen goods (felony)
• Identity theft to avoid arrest (misdemeanor) 
• Giving false identity to law-enforcement officer (misdemeanor)

According to an FCPD general order on the use of force, the PIT is used by police to “physically force a fleeing vehicle from a course of travel in order to stop it.” If a person is seriously injured in a crash caused by a PIT, the FCPD’s internal affairs bureau and the crash reconstruction unit are required to investigate. The investigation can take anywhere from 3-6 months, according to Wright.