A man was arrested after he stole an Amazon delivery van and led law enforcement officials on a chase from Washington, D.C., into Maryland.
The unnamed man was arrested after an hour-long chase on Tuesday in which police officers and helicopters followed a stolen Amazon van from the District of Columbia into Prince George’s County, Maryland, according to Fox5DC.
Prior to this incident, the man had reportedly conducted a carjacking in Prince George’s County and then traveled into Washington, where he later ditched this vehicle, a spokesperson with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) confirmed to the outlet.
The suspect then proceeded to pull a gun on an Amazon delivery person, firing shots before taking off in the van, the MPD spokesperson said, adding that nobody was injured.
During the police chase, the man reportedly drove the delivery van on the rims of the tires as sparks shot off “like firework sparklers” as police from Prince George’s County followed on the ground and a helicopter followed from the air. MPD was then notified and sent out officers and a Helicopter Falcon 1.
“I see the Amazon truck and I see sparks behind it and behind it I see a long, at least 20 police cars ,” a woman told Fox5DC reporter Shomari Stone of the incident. “I’m like, ‘What in the world is going on?’ and I’m automatically thinking, ‘It has to be stolen.'”
The man came to a stop after hitting a curb near a Dunkin Donuts in Prince George’s County.
This incident comes as Washington has seen a rise in motor vehicle thefts. To date, 6,142 motor vehicle theft incidents have been reported, a 98% increase from the 3,109 reported in 2022, according to the MPD’s crime statistics.
IJR reached out to the Prince George’s County Police Department for a statement but did not receive a response by the time of publication.