Look Out Ahead, See Danger Come

When did the D.C. area start to turn into L.A.:

A routine attempt to pull a car over in Baltimore County early this morning turned into a bizarre televised police chase across suburban Maryland, into the District and back into Prince George's County, according to law enforcement officials and news reports.

The chase lasted one hour and 10 minutes, and ended in Prince George's County with the fleeing car hitting at last two Maryland State police vehicles, a pickup truck and a light pole before driving onto a sidewalk and coming to a stop.

The hood of the car was crumpled and had been pushed open, obscuring the windshield. The car was belching steam from the radiator and sparks from the undercarriage.

Police with their guns drawn surrounded the driver as he stepped out of the vehicle, while a traffic helicopter that had tracked the chase from Baltimore continued to shoot video that was broadcast live on local television stations. The officers slammed the driver against the side of his car, and took him into custody.

This happened just one day after another high speed chase occurred in the Tenleytown neighborhood of the District. I'm with Sommer on this one: I hope the local media avoids sensationalizing these events in the future -- i.e., no helicopters.

Tags: maryland washington dc car chases media