Police: Same SUV Involved in Three Crashes, One Killed Rockville Driver

Silver Spring, MD — Montgomery County Police are starting to make sense out of a string of car crashes and an armed robbery that occurred in the Silver Spring area between June 15 and 17, and have released the name of a Rockville woman who may have been run off the road before she died.

Investigators are also asking residents or business owners along several streets to share any security camera footage they have of the accidents.

The list of events includes a June 15 collision, a June 16 armed robbery, and two June 17 crashes that occurred within minutes of each other, and left one woman dead.

Here's what police have learned so far, according to a statement released Tuesday:

June 15 Crash: Around midnight, police say a black SUV was involved in a crash in the drive-through lanes of the McDonald's restaurant at 18010 Georgia Ave. in Olney. The SUV collided with a parked vehicle that caused it to be pushed into the drive-through lanes. There were no injuries.

At that time, the driver of the SUV and a juvenile remained at the scene, but "three individuals described as black males bailed out and ran," police said.

The driver was identified as Ousmane William (Will) Mohamed Barry. He was cited for the incident. His vehicle, a 2005 black Mercury Mountaineer, had to be towed due to a shattered back window, police reported.

June 16 Armed Robbery: At midnight on June 16, an armed robbery occurred in the 1300 block of Wheaton Lane in Silver Spring. During the robbery, police reported that two black males jumped out of a black SUV and robbed an adult Asian man at gunpoint. They fled from the scene in the SUV.

June 17 Crash #1: As Patch previously reported, police said a tan-colored 2009 Toyota Camry (similar model shown in photos) was driving eastbound in the 200 block of Randolph Road just before Locksley Lane when the car went off the roadway and struck a tree. The Camry came to rest in a residential yard.

The adult driver died at the scene. She has since been identified as Victoria Millicent Hitchins, 71, (pictured), of the 14500 block of Barkwood Drive in Rockville.

Police have learned that Hitchins' Camry and the same black Mercury Mountaineer that was involved in the June 15 incident were both driving close to each other at high rates of speed at the time, and that some interaction took place between them. Police are still investigating whether Hitchins may have been run off the road by the other vehicle, or whether the crash was purely an accident.

"The exact nature and cause of the interaction is not yet known," police said in the statement. "It is also not known if that interaction was momentary and coincidental, or if it was part of a longer interaction over a distance. Detectives also do not know if there might have been additional interaction between the vehicles’ occupants outside of their vehicles."

June 17 Crash #2: Barely a minute later, another crash occurred nearby, at the intersection of Randolph Road and New Hampshire Avenue, again involving the black Mountaineer. The SUV's driver was identified as Barry, the same driver involved in the crash that killed Hitchins and the June 15 collision at the McDonald's in Olney.

Police said Barry was treated for injuries at the scene. They also said there were other people in the SUV when it crashed.

"At least two, and perhaps more, other occupants described as black males fled from the crashed vehicle," the police statement said. "A Montgomery County Police K-9 team located one of the individuals, who had bailed from the crashed SUV. Both individuals were interviewed, but no charges have been filed against either suspect."

Police Seeking Information, Witnesses

Montgomery County Police detectives are seeking to determine if the collisions are at all linked to the armed robbery, and why Hitchins, the fatal collision victim, was traveling at a high rate of speed, they said in a statement.

Authorities ask anyone who may have witnessed any of these incidents on June 15, 16 or 17 to contact them.

"If any homeowners or businesses have security video that shows any portion of Randolph Road, Glenallan Avenue or Georgia Avenue between Randolph and Bel Pre Roads, please contact detectives," police said. "Contact is also requested from anyone who saw a black SUV on June 16 or before the June 17, 7 a.m. crash with white plastic covering its back windshield ([due to being] shattered during the crash at the McDonalds)."

Police Collision Reconstruction Unit: 240-773-6620.

4th District Investigative Section: 240-773-5530.

Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), or enter a tip online. Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information provided to them that leads to an arrest and/or indictment for a felony crime.