Washington car theft suspect charged with murder after passenger dies – NBC4 Washington

A Washington, D.C. car thief has been charged with murder after she stole an SUV with a woman in the passenger seat outside a hospital on Monday afternoon and then caused a crash that killed the woman, according to police.

The victim’s daughter briefly left her mother in the SUV to get a wheelchair from the hospital, police said.

The victim was Leslie Marie Gaines of Northeast DC, the Metropolitan Police Department said in an update. She was 55 years old.

According to police, the suspected car thief is 22-year-old Kayla Kenisha Brown from Southeast.

Brown was charged with murder, kidnapping and car theft, police said. She is expected in court on Tuesday.

Police released new details about the shocking crime.

Brown was with her family at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in the 100 block of Irving Street NW on Monday when she left around 1:11 p.m., police said.

At the same time, the driver of a Mazda SUV drove up to the hospital. She got out to get a wheelchair for her mother, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

At that moment, Brown got into the driver’s seat and sped away with Gaines still in the car.

Eighteen minutes later, at about 1:29 p.m., the car thief was traveling northbound in the 400 block of Sixth Street NW, in the area of ​​Judiciary Square, about 3 miles south of the crime scene. She attempted to turn left onto D Street, but “failed to make the turn” and crashed into the building at 601 D Street NW, police said. The building houses the offices of the U.S. Attorney and the Attorney General for D.C.

Brown got out of the wrecked SUV and tried to flee, but was immediately stopped by an MPD captain who noticed the accident in his rearview mirror.

Gaines was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.

One woman said she was on her way from work to lunch when she heard a loud screech. Moments later, she saw the SUV crash into the building. She said her sincere condolences go out to the victim’s family.

“The woman did not deserve this and I pray for her family and what they are going through because it was hard to watch and I know it must be hard for them to deal with,” Ja’Von Hill said.

No information has been released about the suspected car thief’s possible motive. The investigation is ongoing. An autopsy will determine the cause and manner of Gaines’ death, police said.

In DC, auto thefts more than doubled in 2023. In 2024, auto thefts are down 33% compared to the same period last year, according to MPD data. Police say 69% of crimes involve firearms, 68% involve juveniles, and 90% of those arrested say they are DC residents.

The Metropolitan Police Department is increasing the use of helicopters to combat car thefts. According to police figures, there were 958 car thefts in 2023, but only 173 arrests. Authorities hope to solve significantly more of these cases in 2024. Mauricio Casillas of News4 reports.

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.