GERMANTOWN, Md. — Police in Maryland said a 13-year-old was behind the wheel of a stolen car that was involved in a crash that killed another driver.
The crash happened before sunrise on Aug. 4 in Germantown, Maryland, WRC reported.
The driver of a 2007 Toyota Matrix was killed, identified as William Payne II, 58, and the father of five children. he was on his way to work at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology. He was about three miles from his job when the crash occurred.
“The preliminary investigation determined that the white Kia Optima, reported stolen from a Montgomery County residence several hours after the collision, entered the intersection and struck a Toyota Matrix traveling on Clopper Road,” police said.
Police said the driver of a 2015 Kia Optima was a 13-year-old boy who was in critical but stable condition in a local hospital. The Kia also had four girls and two boys, also taken to hospitals with “injuries of varying severity” and ages ranging from 12 to 15. Montgomery County police public information director Shiera Goff said that the youth were not old enough to drive and were not secured in their seats. Some were sitting on the laps of others, according to WRC.
“At this age, they’re not supposed to be driving,” Goff said. “You do not have a license at the age of 15. Right now, I would say, parents, just make sure you know where your children are. This happened at 5 o’clock in the morning.”
The investigation into the crash may take months, police said, ABC News reported. If charges are filed, it will be at the discretion of the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, police said in a news release.
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