PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, MD – The driver behind the wheel of a violent car crash that killed the four teenagers on board Sept. 29 in Mitchellville was 14 years old, the government said.
On Monday, the chief medical examiner confirmed the driver was 14-year-old Marquay Swann of Lanham. Two of the passengers were Zyshaun Cuffey, 15, of Glenarden, and Serenity Sellman, 15, of Upper Marlboro, according to WUSA9. The fourth teen has not yet been identified.
Mona Hamilton showed her granddaughter, Serenity Sellman, in the vehicle. Serenity’s mother, Rose Sellman, started a GoFundMe to help cover Ren’s funeral expenses.
“She’s a great woman and I didn’t know the car had been stolen. If I had known she was going, I wouldn’t have let her go,” Hamilton told 7News.
“Serenity was in that position at the time,” added Serenity’s aunt, Sheila Hamilton. “If he had known the vehicle was stolen, he wouldn’t have gotten into it, and that’s a promise. “
Family members told WUSA9 that Serenity’s cousin also died in the crash. He was known as 17-year-old Datreal Byers. Police have not proven that Datreal is the fourth user of the car.
The vehicle that burned with the teens had been involved in an armed robbery earlier that day in Greenbelt, according to Prince George’s County police. At approximately 7:30 p. m. , officials at the Lottsford Road and Palmetto Drive domain observed a Kia Sorento with an expired vehicle. Transience labels. Officials activated their emergency device and tried to stop the Kia, but the vehicle fled the scene. Police chased the Kia but lost sight of it and ended the chase.
Police were told the vehicle with the license plate did fit the paper tag, so they continued to search for the Kia but were unable to locate it, according to the police department.
Four minutes later, a witness told police the driver of the Kia passed them on the shoulder of the road in the 12,800 block of Woodmore Road. As the vehicle passed, the driver got lost and crashed into a tree. The Kia Sorento caught fire.
Rescuers put out the blaze and tried to rescue the other four people inside, but all were pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash site is about 2. 5 miles from the site of the attempted attempt to stop traffic, police said.
Two of the four teens who died in the burning car crash were students at Charles H High School. other people who have had tragic consequences. “
The school’s principal sent a letter to the families they received through FOX five DCs.
“We have learned that two of our beloved students were involved in a fatal car accident and, tragically, did not survive,” Dr. E’s letter reads. Gorman. Brown. ” This loss leaves a deep void in our school community. And our minds and prayers are with the circle of family and friends. Their lives were full of promise and their absence is deeply felt by all who knew them. “
The letter does not call any of the students. The other two people who died have not been identified, but according to the Prince George’s County prosecutor, they are also believed to be teenagers.
“What we’re seeing is a series of potential bad decisions made by other young people that lead to tragic consequences,” Braveboy said. “This highlights my point of view. The Ministry of Youth Services deserves not only to release others accused of violent crimes before consulting with a judge. “
Hamilton claimed the formula had failed the young man with a complicated criminal past, he told 7News.
“No one helped him. I was virtually homeless,” he said.
Related:
Get more news straight to your inbox. Sign up for alerts and newsletters about loose patches.
To request removal of your call from an arrest report, send the required pieces to Arrestreports@patch. com.