Police on Wednesday identified four of the people they say are connected to an attack on a Fairfax County police officer's cruiser over the weekend.
The officer was responding to what police called a "street takeover" that led to "utter chaos and disorder."
Police obtained warrants for Carlos Matinez Jr., 18; Dylan Heckard, 20; and Ronal Urrea-Hernandez, 18. Officials charged Matinez with reckless driving after a crash involving a cruiser.
Police said they have not arrested Urrea-Hernandez and Heckard. They also have warrants for a 17-year-old from Arlington, whom they did not identify.
Attorneys for the four suspects weren't listed in court records.
At a news conference Wednesday, Police Chief Kevin Davis said that street takeovers have been a rising trend in the Washington region. Young people typically meet at open lots overnight to show off their vehicles, he said.
"They do doughnuts; they drive at high rates of speed," Davis said. "They endanger the lives of themselves. They endanger the lives of their other enthusiastic and masked supporters. And now, they act in a criminal nature far, far too often."
Police said about 3 a.m., several vehicles pulled into a commercial parking lot in the 6600 block of Electronic Drive and began to drive recklessly in circles. A crowd formed. Police said when the officer spotted the gathering and drove into the parking lot, the group of people soon surrounded her cruiser. They jumped on top of it, pulled the door handles and banged on the windows. One person tried to rip off the vehicle's license plate, officials said.
"I believe they fully intended to drag her out of that car," Davis said. "Thankfully, they didn't get into the car. She escaped unharmed, and we're very grateful for that."
Davis said officers throughout the county responded to the scene. Officials said that Urrea-Hernandez struck a responding officer, who suffered minor injuries. The teen then drove away at high speed, they said.
Photos and videos from the scene show the vehicles doing doughnuts in the lot, leaving tire marks on the ground. One image appears to show a person with a rifle sitting on the window frame of a passenger side door, holding the firearm up in the air. Davis said he doesn't believe any shots were fired during the incident.
Police said they are seeking to identify other people at the scene. They urged people with any information to contact them at 703-922-0889.
This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/04/03/springfield-street-takeover-officer-attack/
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