A man caused a multi-car crash on I-395 in a stolen truck before hijacking an ambulance that was responding to the scene. While in the ambulance, he struck at least 13 other vehicles and plowed into a state trooper’s cruiser, according to authorities.
The chase went from I-66 to I-395 to the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Virginia and then back to I-395 and the District, where the driver was arrested after a final head-on collision.
Virginia State Police identified the suspect as Darell T. Caldwell, 30, of Brandywine, Maryland. He faces federal and local charges, though state charges are pending, authorities said Saturday night.
“At this time, the state police have reported and are investigating 13 hit-and-runs committed by the stolen ambulance,” police said in a news release.
the video of Dave Stater shows the police chasing the ambulance.
Several people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, according to authorities. The officers involved in the chase and the medics from the stolen ambulance were not injured.
Police: Original accident on I-66 involved a stolen truck
Police said the accident that started the chain of events involved a truck that had been reported stolen from Falls Church. The driver of that truck caused a two-car wreck on I-66 near the 74-mile marker, according to police.
First responders arrived at 3:40 p.m. and the other driver was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
But the truck driver, Caldwell, according to police, fled the scene.
One Minute Later: Multi-Vehicle Crash on I-395
The area of I-66 where the first accident occurred is very close to an interchange with I-395.
Just a minute after the truck driver sped off, state police were called to a multi-vehicle crash in the northbound lanes of I-395 near exit 10 in Arlington County.
Authorities confirmed that the same stolen truck caused that accident, which injured five people who were eventually taken to a hospital.
Traffic camera video shows the truck crashed into at least 10 cars in heavy traffic and ended up on the sidewalk in the right lane. The truck driver got out and ran, police said.
Driver’s escape route moves to second truck, GW Parkway
Minutes later, police were alerted to another accident, this time on George Washington Memorial Parkway.
It was a different truck, but the same suspect, authorities said.
Caldwell was traveling the wrong way on the avenue when he collided with another vehicle. However, it is not clear where he got the second truck.
The suspect would have robbed an ambulance that was responding to the previous accident
At the same time, an Arlington Fire and Emergency Department ambulance headed for the I-395 crash encountered the collision on GW Parkway and stopped there.
Medics came out to help, but while they were with the other driver, Caldwell ran to the ambulance and took it away, according to police.
The medics flagged down a state trooper, who then ran after the ambulance, but the suspect refused to stop. Virginia State Police began a pursuit, assisted by Arlington County Police.
Authorities say that, at one point, the suspect stopped the ambulance, but as the officer was getting out of his car, Caldwell reversed, rammed the officer’s car and drove off again.
Final crash: ambulance crashes head-on into a parked car in DC
The ambulance returned to I-395, this time on Express Lanes. Police pursued the driver into the District, where he finally stopped after a head-on collision with a parked car on 14th Street SW at D Street. One person was inside the parked car and received minor injuries.
Caldwell did not resist the arrest, police said.
Shari Gribbin, a resident of a high-rise building across the street, captured video of the arrest. Multiple police units responded with blaring sirens.
“It just looked like a really bad car accident, but then seeing all the emergency vehicles out front suggested, ‘Uh oh, something else is going on there,'” Gribbin explained.
Caldwell was taken to a hospital for a medical evaluation.
Children, families and people with their dogs are often in the area where the chase ended, according to Gribbin.
“It’s still crazy, it’s never less wild, when something crazy happens,” he added.
Specific charges against Caldwell were not yet available, but police said he has been charged by both federal and local law enforcement, with state charges pending. It is unknown if he already has a lawyer.
Virginia State Police asked anyone hit by the ambulance during the chase to call them at 703-803-0026.
