No less than a residential area.
Drag racing in middle of the night on empty streets is unacceptable. It’s not only stupid to race on a narrow residential street at night, but it is also dangerously irresponsible. This is why this video is so shocking. It’s because people were given the opposite. This mess resulted in only minor injuries for the people involved.
The Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), has provided a video of the situation starting on April 30. Two police cars were stopped on the 1400 block Anacostia Avenue in the northeast corner of the city at approximately 5:15 p.m. local time on April 22. The video briefing states that two officers were in each vehicle and that officers engaged in “a reckless driving incident”, which resulted in one car hitting the other. The injuries to the officers were minor, and WUSA reported that they were taken to a local hospital. Both cruisers were severely damaged and had to be towed away from the accident site.
We don’t know the exact circumstances that led to the accident. The footage from the bodycam at the top shows the perspective of the passenger in the striking vehicle. The windshield shows the driver looking to the left, as the driver of the second cruiser appears through the windshield. Was the second car out of control? Did the driver make a left turn when he was aware that the other cruiser was coming towards him?
WUSA With this, one car is better than the other. Fox5 News reports that the cars were moving at least 60 mph along the 25-mph residential street
According to the official MPD briefing, one probationary officer had been fired after the crash. While the Office of the Attorney General reviews the matter, the three remaining probationary officers are placed in non-contact. The case will be sent to MPD internal affairs to be investigated to determine whether charges are warranted. The damage was limited to two police cars and a fence that was placed in the area.
It is no secret that relations between law enforcement and the public are at times strained in the United States. While we hope that all sides will prevail in this dispute, it’s not surprising that cops drag-racing in the neighborhoods they are supposed to protect is a common practice. That’s not helpful.