MPD Investigating Fatal Crash at White House Barrier

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department's Major Crash Investigations Unit are investigating a traffic crash that resulted in the death of the driver.

The preliminary investigation determined that on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at approximately 10:16 p.m., a single vehicle was traveling westbound in the 1400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest, when it ran the red light at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue and then the red light at 15th Street, Northwest. The vehicle continued traveling at a high rate of speed when it struck a White House grounds security checkpoint vehicle barrier at the intersection of 15th Street and E Street, Northwest. The driver suffered severe injuries on impact and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The decedent has been identified as 57-year-old James Chester Lewis Jr., of Matthews, N.C.

The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation.

CCN: 24067210

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