Rockville Man Texting Rear Ends State Trooper In Prince George's County

LANHAM, MD — A Montgomery County man crashed into a Maryland State Trooper while he was texting on his cell phone on I-495 Friday morning, according to Maryland State Police.

Police say Deangelo Price, 26, of Rockville struck a trooper at 7:15 a.m. on the inner loop of I-495 at Route 450 in Lanham. The trooper—identified as Trooper Austin Mueller—was transported to a nearby hospital following the incident.

Mueller, who is assigned to road patrol for the College Park Barrack, noticed Price texting and driving and attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Price's car. Due to the heavy volume of traffic, Mueller ended up in front of Price's car, police said.

Price then crashed his Honda into the rear of the marked patrol car. Price refused medical treatment and is uninjured, police said. Mueller was transported to Laurel Regional Hospital by fellow troopers.

Police charged Price with using hands to use a handheld phone while vehicle is in motion, following a vehicle closer than reasonable and prudent, negligent driving, failure to control speed to avoid a collision, and other traffic related charges. All of the charges contributed to the crash, police said.

Patch File Photo