A woman died Monday after the SUV she was in was stolen from a hospital and then crashed into the corner of the U.S. attorney's office building in downtown Washington, D.C., police said.
The deceased woman was identified by police as Leslie Marie Gaines, 55, of the Northeast neighborhood. She was in the passenger seat of a Mazda SUV at the MedStar Washington Hospital Center when the driver, Gaines' daughter, exited the vehicle to retrieve a wheel chair for her mother, police said in a Tuesday statement.
That's when Kayla Kenisha Brown, 22, of the Southeast neighborhood, jumped in the driver's seat of the Mazda and drove away while Gaines was still in the SUV.
Shortly before 1:30 p.m., about 18 minutes after Brown stole the Mazda, she crashed the vehicle into the corner of the U.S. Attorney's Office near the 400 block of 6th Street, Northwest, police said.
In consultation with the U.S. Attorney's Office, police say Brown has been charged with felony murder, kidnapping and carjacking.
It was not immediately clear Tuesday afternoon if Brown retained an attorney.
Assistant Washington Police Chief Darnel Robinson at a media briefing on Monday called the events a "tragedy."
A patrol officer who was nearby saw the crash through a rearview mirror and the driver get out and try to flee, Robinson said. The officer detained the driver for questioning, he said.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, police said.
The cause and manner of Gaines' death will be determined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, police said.
Carjackings more than doubled in the nation’s capital last year, according to NBC Washington. So far this year, carjackings are down 33% compared with the same period last year, police data shows.
