Man Charged In Crash That Killed Fire Marshal, FBI Agent

ROCKVILLE, MD — A Germantown man has been charged in the December crash that killed Deputy Chief Fire Marshal Sander Cohen and FBI Agent Carlos Wolff on I-270.

Roberto A. Garza Palacios, 28, was charged with negligent driving after an investigation by the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Cohen, 33, from Rockville and Wolff, 36, of Gaithersburg were killed on southbound I-270, north of Falls Road, at about 10 p.m. Dec. 8, 2017.

According to police, Wolff's vehicle was involved in a single-car crash and Cohen stopped at the scene of the crash for help, and used his car to block the damaged vehicle from traffic. Cohen was off-duty, police said.

Cohen "immediately called the Maryland State Police Rockville Barrack for assistance and blocked the damaged vehicle with his own, while activating his emergency flashers in an attempt to safeguard the scene," Maryland State Police said.

The two officers were standing in the shoulder when Palacios swerved to the left of the stopped vehicles when he was unable to move to the right, Maryland State Police said. Palacios, in a 2000 Honda Accord, struck both men on the highway shoulder.

Both men were thrown over the jersey wall to the northbound side of I-270, police said.

Palacios stopped his vehicle just south of the crash and remained at the scene. The investigation found that alcohol, drugs and speed were not factors in this crash, police said.

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Cohen died on the scene; Wolff was taken to Suburban Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Cohen joined the RVFD in 2003 and was also a deputy fire marshal with the Office of the State Fire Marshal, an agency of the Maryland Department of State Police. He grew up in Rockville, was a graduate of Winston Churchill High School and started volunteering at the fire department at age 16.

Wolff was an 11-year veteran of the FBI. He left behind his wife, a 7-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter, according to a statement from his family.

The charge carries a penalty of a $280 fine and three points. Palacios met with State Police at the Rockville Barrack in mid-April and was issued the citation. Signing the citation is not an admission of guilt, police said.

Photo of Cohen and Wolff via Montgomery Community Media