Feb 17, 2008 10:00 am US/Eastern
Car Plows Into Crowd At Md. Street Race, 8 Die
ACCOKEEK, Md. (CBS) ―
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A car plowed into a crowd that had gathered to watch a drag race on a suburban road in Accokeek, Md, early Saturday, killing eight people
AP
Residents who live near the Maryland highway where eight street-racing fans were killed have long complained about reckless driving and street racing, a local community leader said Sunday.
Street racing has been a known problem for 20 or more years on the highway, also known as Route 210, said Stan Fetter, president of the Indian Head Highway Area Action Council.
The council also discussed the problem of reckless driving with Melvin High, Prince George's County's police chief, Fetter said.
Early Saturday, a car apparently unconnected to a drag race plowed into the fans, killing eight people and injuring at least five, reports CBS station WJZ-TV in Baltimore.
Prince George's County police released the names of six victims Sunday. They are Mark Courtney, 33, of Leonardtown; Daryl Wills, 38, of Clinton; Maycol Lopez, 20, of Gaithersburg; Blaine Briscoe, 49, of La Plata; William Gaines, 61, of Nanjemoy; and Ervin Gardner, 39, of Oxon Hill.
The identities of the other two have not been confirmed, Cpl. Arvel Lewis said. Two of the injured are in serious condition, but Lewis said he did not have updates on the others.
Police are still hoping to interview more witnesses and are urging anyone who was at the scene to come forward. But they are not actively looking for the drivers who were taking part in the illegal race because they were not directly involved in the crash, Lewis said.
Police are saying that accident is among the worst they've ever seen.
Adam May reports an amateur street race turned into a scene of carnage on Route 210 in Prince George's County.
"Right now, it's like a dream. I can't believe this happened," said a witness.
Tarps covered the bodies of the victims ranging in age from 20 to 60.
The victims were tossed through the air after police say a Crown Victoria, not involved in the race, came down the highway after two other racing cars took off.
At the same time, a crowd of about 50 people stepped into the road to see the race.
They were hidden in the dark of night and a cloud of burning rubber and exhaust.
"There were people standing on the side of the road, my father was one of them, some died instantly, others got thrown then died," said a witness.
"My mom was trying to grab my grandfather, then when it hit him, all his body pieces just jumped up," said a family member of a victim.
Making matters worse, an 18-wheeler also came through the body littered highway moment later as the two street racers took off .
Police are still looking for those drivers.
Meanwhile, police have interviewed the driver of the Crown Victoria and say no charges are pending at this time.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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