An elderly tourist was killed just outside the White House Wednesday when a hit-and-run driver hit “multiple” people while fleeing a Secret Service stop, according to the agency.
Uniformed agents had tried to stop a blue Honda Accord just before 1:30 p.m. for driving with an expired license, the service said.
“The suspect indicated that they would stop the vehicle, but then quickly fled southbound,” said Lt. Paul Mayhair, a spokesman for the Secret Service division that secures the executive mansion and its perimeter.
The driver “then crossed a red traffic signal and struck multiple individuals in the crosswalk” just outside the White House, Mayhair said.
The agents “observed the collision and immediately responded to render aid” as the suspect fled, the spokesman said.
One person was taken to a hospital in critical condition and “later succumbed to his injuries,” Mayhair said.
He was a 75-year-old man from Philadelphia, Park Police told the Washington Post, without identifying him. The hit-and-run driver was fleeing uniformed Secret Service agents, the agency said.WJLA
A 13-year-old girl was also treated at a hospital for injuries not believed to be life-threatening, officials told the outlet.
“Police are working to locate the suspect and our deepest condolences go out to the victim’s family,” chief Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted Thursday.
The investigation is being led by Park Police, according to the paper.
Neither Park Police nor the Secret Service immediately responded to requests for updates early Thursday.
Sources told WJLA that police had visited the home of a local man linked to the car involved in the deadly crash, without finding him there.
The car has $720 in unpaid speeding fines, The Washington Post said, without identifying the listed owner.
