A man accused of stealing Prince George's County Police cruiser died after crashing the police vehicle in Upper Marlboro, Md.. It happened after officers had pulled over to help him, according to police.
The officers had been driving along Croom Rd. and Baden Naylor Rd. around 2:30 a.m. Saturday when they noticed some debris from an apparent car crash on the roadway. They then spotted Kenneth Ray Taylor, 28, standing by the side of his car.
The officers got out of their cruiser and approached Taylor, who appeared to be injured. While they checked to see if there were any others in the car, Taylor bolted into their unattended cruiser and sped off, according to authorities.
Taylor only got about a mile further down Croom Rd. before he struck a pole with the cruiser, and the vehicle burst into flames.
Police say the officers were unsuccessful in their attempts to put out the fire. By the time firefighters were there to extinguish the wreck, Taylor was pronounced dead.
Taylor's motives in the alleged auto theft and ensuing crash were unknown.
A Prince George's County Police spokesman said investigators are awaiting a medical examiner's report to determine whether Taylor was under the influence. The spokesman declined to comment on policies regarding officers leaving their cruisers unattended.
