2 Arlington Residents Killed In Rock Creek Parkway Crash: Police

ARLINGTON, VA — Two of the three people who died Wednesday morning in a car crash on Rock Creek Parkway in Washington, D.C., were from Arlington, the U.S. Park Police said Thursday.

The crash, which occurred around 1:45 a.m. on Wednesday, involved a Honda sedan and a Lexus SUV.

The three occupants in the Honda were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the U.S. Park Police. The deceased were identified as Jonathan Cabrera Mendez, 23, of Arlington, and Olvin Torres Velasquez, 22, of Arlington, police said Thursday. Mohamed Kamara, 42, of Burtonsville, Maryland, was the third occupant of the car who died.

The crash occurred on Rock Creek Parkway near P Street NW.

The Lexus SUV was occupied by an adult woman and adult man. The adult woman was transported to the hospital with injuries later considered life-threatening, and the adult man was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

FOX 5 reported that the Lexus SUV involved in the deadly crash has a long history of tickets and fines, including 44 outstanding tickets worth $12,300 with the District of Columbia's Department of Motor Vehicles. According to the D.C. DMV website, 43 of the tickets are for speeding violations, and one of them is for running a red light, FOX 5 reported.

Prior to the fatal crash, a U.S. Park Police officer initiated a traffic stop on the Lexus SUV near the intersection of Virginia Avenue. Park Police said a man and a woman were inside the SUV when the officer tried to pull them over, but the driver refused to stop and fled. Several minutes later, the SUV collided with the Honda sedan, according to FOX 5.

The U.S. Park Police said its detectives are working in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia as the crash remains under investigation.

Anyone with information about the early Wednesday morning crash is asked to contact the U.S. Park Police tip line at 202-379-4877 or by email at USPP_TIPLINE@nps.gov.