A tragic incident unfolded on Monday in Washington D.C., resulting in murder, kidnapping, and carjacking charges against a woman after a carjacking and subsequent crash claimed the life of a 55-year-old woman.
The ordeal began around 1:11 p.m. at Washington Hospital Center, according to the Metropolitan Police Department’s news release.
On that afternoon, a person parked a Mazda SUV at the hospital’s front with her 55-year-old mother in the passenger seat. The driver exited the vehicle to retrieve a wheelchair for her mother, authorities reported.
At this moment, a 22-year-old woman, later identified as Kayla Kenisha Brown, emerged from the hospital with her family. She then entered the Mazda SUV and drove away with the 55-year-old woman still inside.
Merely 18 minutes later, while attempting a left turn onto a street, the woman collided with a building located at 601 D Street, Northwest.
This building accommodates the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia and the Washington D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office, as per the Metropolitan Police Department’s statement on Tuesday afternoon.
After crashing, the suspect attempted to flee but was apprehended by a Metropolitan Police Department captain.
The passenger of the vehicle, Leslie Marie Gaines, was transported to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
The suspect, identified as Brown, faces charges including felony murder, kidnapping, and carjacking, authorities confirmed. Legal representation for Brown was not immediately disclosed.
Authorities continue their investigation, with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner scheduled to conduct an autopsy to determine Gaines’ cause and manner of death.
“The Metropolitan Police Department extends gratitude to our partners at the United States Attorney’s Office and the United States Marshals for their assistance at the crash scene,” authorities stated in the news release.
