Police pursuit from Anne Arundel County to Washington, D.C. ends with two dead in fiery crash

BALTIMORE -- A police chase that started in Anne Arundel County turned deadly Tuesday after two people were killed in a fiery crash in southeast Washington, DC. 

Anne Arundel County Police said officers spotted a vehicle allegedly used in multiple armed robberies across the DMV area when they began pursuit.

 Police spotted a white car in Annapolis that matched the description of the vehicle used in several armed robberies in the area, including two in June at nearby banks.

U.S. Park Police found the car and initiated the pursuit.

Officers followed the suspects from Annapolis through Prince George's County, and into Washington, D.C. where the suspects' car crashed and caught fire.

"The vehicle was moving at a high rate of speed, it crested a hill and immediately slammed into a tree and erupted into flames and was set on fire," said Chief Jessica Taylor, with the U.S. Park Police.

Police say two people were killed and a third person was taken into custody and was transported to a hospital.

For weeks, officers have been trying to track down the suspects tied to the violent armed robberies.

One of those armed robberies happened outside the Truist Bank on Solomons Island Road in Annapolis, and the other was at the Navy Federal Credit on Best Gate Road.

Victims in both cases told police they were robbed at gunpoint while withdrawing or depositing money. 

"They've been an epidemic throughout our region," Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal Awad said.

Awad says there have been at least 40 reported armed robberies at banks so far this year throughout the region where innocent people were targeted. 

"Our hearts go out to all of the people who have fallen victim to these suspects who choose to victimize innocent people and their lives," Awad said.

Police recovered a gun near the crash believed to have been tossed from the vehicle's window.