On July 24, 2021 at approximately 03:06 am, Northern District officers responded to Walton Avenue near Johnson Street for a motor vehicle crash into a private residence
The investigation revealed that a 2011 Nissan Altima was traveling south on Johnson Street approaching the tee-intersection of Walton Ave. This intersection is lit and level and had a properly posted and visible stop sign prior to entering the intersection. The Nissan failed to stop at the posted stop sign and continued in a southbound direction where it jumped a curb and continued into the front yard of a private residence on Walton Ave. The vehicle struck the residence and fully entered the living quarters of the home.
The driver of the Nissan exited the crashed vehicle and fled the scene on foot towards Ritchie Hwy where responding officers quickly apprehended him without incident.
The residence was occupied by two adult residents and two dogs. One resident, a 68-year old male was struck by the vehicle as it entered the interior of the home. The impact caused him to become trapped between the Nissan and the damaged interior walls.
The Anne Arundel County Fire Department’s Special Operations Section and Technical Rescue unit worked to extricate the resident from the wreckage. After successfully extricating him, he was transported to the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore where he was later pronounced deceased.
The operator of the Nissan exhibited marked signs of impairment and was tested for both alcohol and drug use. Those results are pending toxicology results.
Preliminarily, the primary cause of the crash appears to be the driver of the Nissan failing to stop at a stop sign. The use of drugs and/or alcohol do appear to be a factor in this crash which is being investigated by the Traffic Safety Section.
After consultation with the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office, the suspect driver was charged with the following charges
Charges:
- Manslaughter by Vehicle
- Homicide by Vehicle while impaired by drugs
- Homicide by Vehicle while impaired by CDS
- Driving while impaired by drugs or drugs and alcohol
- Driving while impaired by controlled dangerous substance
- Fail to return to or remain at the scene of an accident that results in death
