Arrest In 2023 Attempted Murder Case Of 3 Pedestrians Hit By SUV

ROCKVILLE, MD — A Gaithersburg man was arrested Thursday after a year-long search for a driver who Rockville Police said intentionally ran down three pedestrians.

Walter Giovanni Marquez-Aviles, 44, of Gaithersburg, was taken into custody in Hyattsville by officers from several agencies. He is charged with three counts of attempted murder and three counts of first-degree assault.

A police news release said about 2:36 p.m. on Dec. 14, 2023, an SUV struck multiple people at 199 E. Montgomery Ave. The driver, who authorities said was Marquez-Aviles, did not remain at the scene.

Investigators said the vehicular assault was an intentional act.

The three victims were treated at a local hospital with serious injuries. They were only identified by their age, a 79-year-old woman and two men ages 22 and 18 at the time of the assault, WUSA reported. Police said that Marquez-Aviles was in court earlier that day and knew at least one of the victims.

Officers with the Montgomery County Police Department Repeat Offender Unit and the U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Task Force helped Rockville police locate Marquez-Aviles.