DC driver with $12k in tickets flees US Park police, kills 3 people

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But let me guess, suspending licenses and impounding cars of reckless drivers who have insane numbers of violations will violate rights and is oppression. Tell that to the families of the dead.
They were speed camera tickets. The driver is not identified in speed camera tickets. No way to know who racked up those tickets.

The car racked up the tickets. Impound the car.

This is a good opportunity for Congress to drag some officials into a hearing with the cameras rolling:

-- How was this allowed to happen?

-- Does DC have a system to identify and investigate cases where a single vehicle or vehicles registered to a single address/entity rack up a large number of fines (whether paid or unpaid)? What is the number? 10 per year, 20 per year? What is the procedure for these cases?

-- How many other vehicles/owners have more than 10 or 20 fines and what is the District doing about them?

Congress? Because other states are doing it better? No. DC residents can govern themselves just like the residents of every other state.

Wow. May I suggest Schoolhouse Rock?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imagine if DC got tough on crime, law enforcement, and suspended the driver's licenses of people with outrageous bills for vehicle violations. 3 more people would be alive. More examples of how being lax on criminal behavior is destroying lives:


https://wtop.com/dc/2023/03/3-dead-2-injured-after-two-vehicle-crash-on-rock-creek-parkway/

But let me guess, suspending licenses and impounding cars of reckless drivers who have insane numbers of violations will violate rights and is oppression. Tell that to the families of the dead.

Aww, it’s so. precious how you think suspending that person’s license would have stopped them from driving.

Boot the car or impound it, genius.

You and Forest Gump over here neck and neck in the science olympiad.

[Anonymous]

I literally called 9-11 one Sunday morning around 11am, behind a huge pickup truck coming back from boozy brunch (either that or having a diabetic shock or stroke) constantly running off the road, literally digging up the median and almost hitting numerous people. I was following him the entire length of GW parkway, from the bridge to DC all the way to 495. The police told me "we don't have enough units to send someone out." I gave them the plate and said he's going to kill someone, which I would be SHOCKED if he didn't do either that day or another day in the near future. Sad! Thanks DC

[Anonymous]

Local news says that the criminal's car had the criminal and a passenger. Both survived.

The car they hit was a Lyft driver and his two customers. They all died.

"Mohamed Kamara, 42, lived with his sister and brother-in-law and drove for Lyft to earn money to send to his family in Sierra Leone."

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/lyft-driver-2-passengers-died-in-rock-creek-parkway-crash/3304750/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I literally called 9-11 one Sunday morning around 11am, behind a huge pickup truck coming back from boozy brunch (either that or having a diabetic shock or stroke) constantly running off the road, literally digging up the median and almost hitting numerous people. I was following him the entire length of GW parkway, from the bridge to DC all the way to 495. The police told me "we don't have enough units to send someone out." I gave them the plate and said he's going to kill someone, which I would be SHOCKED if he didn't do either that day or another day in the near future. Sad! Thanks DC

The GW parkway in…Virginia??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m the OP of the thread about leniency for DUIs. This is also outrageous. This person was a known serial speeder who ran red lights. It was honestly just a matter of time until they killed someone. I truly don’t understand why we basically do nothing about vehicular crimes.

Because the mayor and DC government elites make political hay catering to drivers. They go out of their way to make driving as cheap and easy as possible and with as little personal responsibility as well. Driver are allowed to behave with impunity in DC, no matter how many people die because of it. That and pandering to conservatives, basically hand in glove here, is the mayor's platform.

This.

MPD is doing absolutely zero traffic enforcement now. This is not anecdotal - look at the massive drop-off in arrests for traffic offenses in the table that "DC Crime Stats" posted on Twitter. That drop-off is sure as hell not because people have become better drivers over the past 10 years!

And the Mayor and the Council - all of the Council, I believe - have made paying camera tickets completely voluntary. There are absolutely no practical consequences now for not paying fines. Whether you are a DC resident or not, your license can be freely renewed regardless of how much you owe. The debt can't be sent to collections and the city's booting and tow truck crew is so small that the chances of being booted or towed are infinitesimal. And that risk can be completely eliminated by not street parking.

CM Pinto and the Mayor are putting out statements like they just found out about this problem, but its not news to most people in this city. People have been posting videos to Reddit, Twitter etc. for years now about drivers with thousands in outstanding tickets driving extremely badly. I personally spoke with Pinto about this soon after she took office - more than two years ago! In the meantime, they have only made the problem even worse. No one in the DC Government seems to have any interest in doing what would be necessary to take drivers like this off the street because apparently driving is a right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Local news says that the criminal's car had the criminal and a passenger. Both survived.

The car they hit was a Lyft driver and his two customers. They all died.

"Mohamed Kamara, 42, lived with his sister and brother-in-law and drove for Lyft to earn money to send to his family in Sierra Leone."

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/lyft-driver-2-passengers-died-in-rock-creek-parkway-crash/3304750/

Oh my goodness. Heartbreaking!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imagine if DC got tough on crime, law enforcement, and suspended the driver's licenses of people with outrageous bills for vehicle violations. 3 more people would be alive. More examples of how being lax on criminal behavior is destroying lives:


https://wtop.com/dc/2023/03/3-dead-2-injured-after-two-vehicle-crash-on-rock-creek-parkway/

But let me guess, suspending licenses and impounding cars of reckless drivers who have insane numbers of violations will violate rights and is oppression. Tell that to the families of the dead.

A person with $12k in tickets will not refrain from driving because his license is suspended. Impounding the car would be a good idea though.

Exactly, this person's violations were so grotesque, the city should have tracked the car down and impounded it. Or booted it at a minimum. Actually, they probably should have been in jail too. They should have never been on the road in the first place. 3 people would still be alive if DC did its job.

I FULLY agree

[Anonymous]

With the number of license plate readers around town police can tell in real time when and where these drivers are. It would not be difficult to undertake serious enforcement. Also, we need a lot more police officers.

[Anonymous]

Here's my proposal. Make it open season on terrible drivers and have a bounty system. The city can post a list of cars with violations above X threshold. The list will include vehicle ID and last known address where the car was registered. Tow truck companies go out and hunt them down and can then keep 50% or whatever of the outstanding fines when they're paid. If the person never pays the fine, they can sell the car and get money from the sale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imagine if DC got tough on crime, law enforcement, and suspended the driver's licenses of people with outrageous bills for vehicle violations. 3 more people would be alive. More examples of how being lax on criminal behavior is destroying lives:


https://wtop.com/dc/2023/03/3-dead-2-injured-after-two-vehicle-crash-on-rock-creek-parkway/

But let me guess, suspending licenses and impounding cars of reckless drivers who have insane numbers of violations will violate rights and is oppression. Tell that to the families of the dead.

Imagine if Rock Creek Parkway weren't a four-lane highway.

But yes, I agree. Reckless drivers should have their cars impounded and their licenses revoked. Automated enforcement needs enforcement.

In Virginia, anything over 20 mph over is reckless driving. If you’re pulled over for 76 in a 55, you advocate impounding the car? Asking for a friend.

[Anonymous]

I sincerely hope that the families of the dead bring legal action against the district. From schools to healthcare DC fails to deliver basic needs to its most needful citizens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imagine if DC got tough on crime, law enforcement, and suspended the driver's licenses of people with outrageous bills for vehicle violations. 3 more people would be alive. More examples of how being lax on criminal behavior is destroying lives:


https://wtop.com/dc/2023/03/3-dead-2-injured-after-two-vehicle-crash-on-rock-creek-parkway/

But let me guess, suspending licenses and impounding cars of reckless drivers who have insane numbers of violations will violate rights and is oppression. Tell that to the families of the dead.

Imagine if Rock Creek Parkway weren't a four-lane highway.

But yes, I agree. Reckless drivers should have their cars impounded and their licenses revoked. Automated enforcement needs enforcement.

In Virginia, anything over 20 mph over is reckless driving. If you’re pulled over for 76 in a 55, you advocate impounding the car? Asking for a friend.

Yes. Reckless drivers should have their cars impounded and their licenses revoked.

76 in a 55 is 21 miles per hour faster than the maximum legal speed under ideal conditions. Plus, if you're charged with 76 in a 55, you were probably actually going at least 86.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m the OP of the thread about leniency for DUIs. This is also outrageous. This person was a known serial speeder who ran red lights. It was honestly just a matter of time until they killed someone. I truly don’t understand why we basically do nothing about vehicular crimes.

Because the mayor and DC government elites make political hay catering to drivers. They go out of their way to make driving as cheap and easy as possible and with as little personal responsibility as well. Driver are allowed to behave with impunity in DC, no matter how many people die because of it. That and pandering to conservatives, basically hand in glove here, is the mayor's platform.

This.

MPD is doing absolutely zero traffic enforcement now. This is not anecdotal - look at the massive drop-off in arrests for traffic offenses in the table that "DC Crime Stats" posted on Twitter. That drop-off is sure as hell not because people have become better drivers over the past 10 years!

And the Mayor and the Council - all of the Council, I believe - have made paying camera tickets completely voluntary. There are absolutely no practical consequences now for not paying fines. Whether you are a DC resident or not, your license can be freely renewed regardless of how much you owe. The debt can't be sent to collections and the city's booting and tow truck crew is so small that the chances of being booted or towed are infinitesimal. And that risk can be completely eliminated by not street parking.

CM Pinto and the Mayor are putting out statements like they just found out about this problem, but its not news to most people in this city. People have been posting videos to Reddit, Twitter etc. for years now about drivers with thousands in outstanding tickets driving extremely badly. I personally spoke with Pinto about this soon after she took office - more than two years ago! In the meantime, they have only made the problem even worse. No one in the DC Government seems to have any interest in doing what would be necessary to take drivers like this off the street because apparently driving is a right.

Is the bottom line issue basically public safety va. equity considerations? Essentially, tickets are oppression and removing licenses from speeders with thousands of dollars of speeding tickets could disproportionally impact socioeconomically disadvantaged communities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m the OP of the thread about leniency for DUIs. This is also outrageous. This person was a known serial speeder who ran red lights. It was honestly just a matter of time until they killed someone. I truly don’t understand why we basically do nothing about vehicular crimes.

Because the mayor and DC government elites make political hay catering to drivers. They go out of their way to make driving as cheap and easy as possible and with as little personal responsibility as well. Driver are allowed to behave with impunity in DC, no matter how many people die because of it. That and pandering to conservatives, basically hand in glove here, is the mayor's platform.

This.

MPD is doing absolutely zero traffic enforcement now. This is not anecdotal - look at the massive drop-off in arrests for traffic offenses in the table that "DC Crime Stats" posted on Twitter. That drop-off is sure as hell not because people have become better drivers over the past 10 years!

And the Mayor and the Council - all of the Council, I believe - have made paying camera tickets completely voluntary. There are absolutely no practical consequences now for not paying fines. Whether you are a DC resident or not, your license can be freely renewed regardless of how much you owe. The debt can't be sent to collections and the city's booting and tow truck crew is so small that the chances of being booted or towed are infinitesimal. And that risk can be completely eliminated by not street parking.

CM Pinto and the Mayor are putting out statements like they just found out about this problem, but its not news to most people in this city. People have been posting videos to Reddit, Twitter etc. for years now about drivers with thousands in outstanding tickets driving extremely badly. I personally spoke with Pinto about this soon after she took office - more than two years ago! In the meantime, they have only made the problem even worse. No one in the DC Government seems to have any interest in doing what would be necessary to take drivers like this off the street because apparently driving is a right.

Is the bottom line issue basically public safety va. equity considerations? Essentially, tickets are oppression and removing licenses from speeders with thousands of dollars of speeding tickets could disproportionally impact socioeconomically disadvantaged communities?

No, the problem is a disinclination to disrupt a transportation system that normalizes and prioritizes drivers and driving over every other consideration. And that's not a DC thing, it's an American thing.