Police chase after CVS theft ends in fatal Indian Head Highway crash

A pursuit that began with a theft call at a CVS in Fort Washington ended minutes later in a fatal crash on Indian Head Highway, shutting down northbound lanes overnight and renewing concern about one of Prince George’s County’s most dangerous corridors.

Prince George’s County police were dispatched at about 10:05 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, 2026, to the 11900 block of Livingston Road for a report of a theft in progress involving two male suspects. Police said a responding officer saw the suspects leave the store and speed away in a vehicle. About five minutes later, that vehicle crashed on Indian Head Highway near Palmer Road.

The driver, an adult male whose name had not yet been released pending notification of family, was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger was injured and taken to a hospital. Prince George’s County Fire and Emergency Medical Services also responded to the crash. Police said the investigation into the circumstances was continuing.

The wreck closed northbound lanes of Indian Head Highway overnight, disrupting traffic along Route 210 and underscoring how quickly a brief police encounter can turn into a deadly roadway emergency. The crash was described locally as a single-vehicle wreck after the suspects fled police.

Indian Head Highway has long been associated with serious collisions in the Fort Washington area, including other fatal crashes in recent years. For residents who travel the corridor daily, the latest death adds to a pattern that has made Route 210 a recurring site for high-speed crashes, emergency response and prolonged road closures.

The stretch near Palmer Road sits in a part of Prince George’s County where drivers, commuters and nearby neighborhoods have repeatedly faced the consequences of dangerous speeds and violent impacts. With another death now tied to the highway, attention again turns to whether the corridor is becoming safer or merely being managed after each new tragedy.