An elderly man has been killed and two other people injured in a hit-and-run by a driver trying to flee the Secret Service in Washington DC.
The tragic incident unfolded just before 1.30pm on Wednesday close to the National Mall when uniformed Secret Service agents spotted a vehicle with an expired registration.
Secret Service spokesperson Lt Paul Mayhair said that the officers tried to pull the Honda Accord over at the intersection of 17th Street NW and Constitution Avenue, next to the Ellipse.
Initially, the unidentified driver indicated that they would pull over but then suddenly sped off south along 17th Street NW, crossing through a red traffic light and striking three pedestrians who were walking across the crosswalk, authorities said.
An eyewitness told NBC Washington that he was standing by the intersection at the time of the crash and saw the 75-year-old man thrown into the air when the car hit him.
The victim landed on the hood before the driver allegedly ran over him again and then fled the scene.
“All of a sudden, it just hit the guy. The guy flew up – I saw him when he was flying up. He came down on the hood,” said the unnamed witness.
“All of a sudden, he backed up a little bit and ran over him again and kept on continuing down until the light.”
The Secret Service agents rendered aid to the victims – including a 75-year-old man and a 13-year-old girl – on the scene.
The elderly man was then rushed to hospital in critical condition where he died from his injuries. The other two victims suffered minor injuries.
The suspect, whose identity is still unknown, managed to get away in the chaos and is still believed to be on the run as of Thursday morning.
Authorities are now looking for the suspect and for the blue 2006 Honda Accord with Virginia tags 8718BE used in the hit-and-run.
Police tape on scene of deadly hit-and-run— (NBC News)
An alert has been issued to law enforcement agencies in the area to be on the lookout.
Anyone with information is urged to call 911 immediately.
The incident comes just weeks after a 19-year-old crashed a U-Haul van into the barricades outside the White House.
Sai Varshith Kandula, from Missouri, was arrested on the scene by Secret Service agents who found he was carrying a Nazi flag in the van.
Investigators say Mr Kandula plotted the attack for six months in an attempt to try to “seize power” from the government.
