Police arrested two teenagers for what police now describe as an armed carjacking and homicide of a high school student in Forestville, Maryland, last month.
A group of teenagers were hanging around their cars in the parking lot of North Forestville Elementary School about 6:30 p.m. May 11 when two teenagers got out of a car with guns in their hands, police said. They demanded the keys to a 2022 Honda Accord, and the driver handed them over.
Court documents say 18-year-old Kendall Batson resisted handing over the keys to his 2020 BMW. Witnesses told police one of the carjackers racked his rifle and said, “Give up your stuff or I am going to kill you.”
“You’re not going to take my keys,” Batson replied.
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During a struggle, Batson was shot by 18-year-old Lavelle Harris of D.C.
Harris faces charges including first-degree murder and armed carjacking. A 17-year-old also is in custody.
Cameras mounted on the wall of the school and directly facing the parking lot provided information that helped police make the arrests.
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Batson was a senior and varsity football player at Wise High School in Upper Marlboro.
Police say he was driving another BMW the morning of March 7 when he crashed on Ritchie Marlboro Road, killing his passenger and classmate, 18-year-old Cayliy Haygood. Batson was attempting to overtake another vehicle when he slammed into a parked landscaping trailer, police said. They said they were also investigating whether speed was a factor.
Police do not believe there is any connection between the fatal crash and Batson’s death.
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