Police investigate shooting and carjacking spree across Prince George's County

Police were piecing together a fast-moving shooting and carjacking spree Friday that stretched from East Riverdale to Greenbelt, left at least two people injured, and forced schools across northern Prince George’s County into lockdown or delayed dismissal. Investigators said the suspect used an AR-15-style rifle, shot at people in multiple places, stole a vehicle at gunpoint and was eventually taken into custody after a widening response by county and federal officers.

The first 911 call came in around 2:30 p.m. from the 5100 block of Pierce Avenue, where officers began chasing reports of a man with a gun. From there, investigators traced the violence to a woman who was shot at and carjacked near Kenilworth Avenue and Good Luck Road, before the chain of events ended in the 900 block of Edmonston Road. Greenbelt Police said the incident finished near Edmonston Road and Greenbelt Road.

Witness accounts and aerial video added another layer to the scene. News4 reported a flipped Chevrolet Impala at 67th Avenue and Patterson Street in Riverdale, and witnesses described the car speeding before it struck another vehicle and overturned. NBC Washington tied police activity to Riverdale and College Park, underscoring how widely the disruption spread across the northern part of the county.

A key break came from an unarmed off-duty Prince George’s County police officer, who followed the suspect in his personal car and relayed information that helped officers close in. Officials later described that officer as vital to the capture. U.S. Park Police also monitored the shooting spree as county officers moved in, helping narrow the suspect’s path before the arrest.

The public safety fallout reached school hallways almost immediately. DC News Now reported temporary lockdowns at Dora Kennedy French Immersion School, Greenbelt Middle School and Greenbelt Elementary School, along with Beacon Heights, Berwyn Heights, Greenbelt and Paint Branch elementary schools, plus Bladensburg and Eleanor Roosevelt high schools. Prince George’s County Public Schools relies on emergency notifications and social-media alerts during incidents like this, a reminder that school systems now operate as part of the county’s emergency response network when violence spills into neighborhoods.

The case also highlights the scale of the county’s policing burden. The Prince George’s County Police Department says it is Maryland’s fourth largest law-enforcement agency, with more than 1,500 officers and 300 civilians serving nearly 900,000 residents. Its Strategic Investigations Division includes a Carjacking Interdiction Unit, a specialized response built for exactly the kind of moving threat that unfolded Friday. If officers’ use of force becomes part of the case, Maryland’s Attorney General’s Office also maintains a police-involved incident review database for scrutiny of those events.