Virginia State Police has identified a Foreign Service Officer as the suspect in the mass stabbing that left one woman and a dog dead on 1 March.
Jared Llamado, 32, allegedly stabbed four women during a road rage incident on Fairfax County's 495 southbound Interstate. In a press release, Virginia State Police identified the victims as Michelle Adams, 39, Dana Bonnell, 36, Mary C. Flood, 37 and Heather Miller, 40. Adams died from her injuries.
Llamado's dog was also killed in the attack. Upon arrival, a state police trooper shot Llamado after he allegedly confronted the officer with a knife. Llamado died from his injuries at a local hospital.
Road Rage Sparks Mass Stabbing
According to a dispatch audio obtained by Fox News Digital, a 'property damage crash' sparked the road rage incident wherein Llamado allegedly started 'stabbing people with a knife.'
Dispatch noted 'multiple victims in the roadway' just as authorities arrived. 'A Virginia State Police trooper was called to the scene at approximately 1:17 p.m. for a reported road rage incident,' the Virginia State Police stated. 'When the trooper arrived on scene, he was confronted by a male suspect carrying a knife.'
'The trooper then shot the suspect in self-defence. The suspect, Jared Llamado, 32, of McLean, Va., was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. Llamado later succumbed to those injuries. The trooper was not injured.'
Suspect Confirmed as Employee of State Department
Llamado was a State Department employee, an agency spokesperson confirmed in a statement. 'We are aware of the tragic incident that involved a Foreign Service Officer and occurred on Sunday, March 1, in Fairfax County, Virginia,' he said. 'We extend our deepest condolences to all those affected by this tragedy.'
The spokesperson declined requests for further comments, but the Virginia State Police stated that the incident is not believed to be terrorism-related. Llamado is also the sole suspect.
According to preliminary investigations, Llamado did not know any of the victims before the incident. None of the victims was inside Llamado's vehicle when the stabbings started.
Dangerous Driving Trends Rising in the US
Around 49% of Americans have been driving more dangerously than before the pandemic, according to a 2024 survey by Pew Research Centre. 'There's a fair amount of data indicating that Americans' driving habits have worsened over the past five years, at least in some ways,' per the report.
Distracted driving, reckless driving, drunk and impaired driving, and road rage were noted culprits. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines road rage as 'an intentional assault by a driver or passenger with a motor vehicle or a weapon that occurs on the roadway or is precipitated by an incident on the roadway.'
Road rage cases are usually prosecuted under broader assault or homicide laws, according to the report. 14 states, including Virginia, have passed laws against aggressive driving. California is the only US state that legally defines 'road rage' as a specific, intentional, and dangerous act.
Virginia's aggressive driving laws penalise violations as either Class 1 or Class 2 Misdemeanors, depending on intent.
