WASHINGTON, DC — A carjacking incident escalated to a tragic outcome in Northwest when a woman drove off with a vehicle, resulting in a fatal crash. Kayla Kenisha Brown, 22, from Southeast, was arrested and charged with felony murder, kidnapping, and carjacking following the event.
The ordeal began around 1:11 PM on Monday when Brown allegedly took control of a Mazda SUV at the Washington Hospital Center. The vehicle’s owner had momentarily left it unattended to assist her mother.
Unbeknownst to Brown, the owner’s mother remained in the passenger seat. Shortly thereafter, at about 1:29 PM, Brown failed to execute a left turn at the intersection of 6th and D Streets NW, crashing into a building at 601 D Street NW.
The vehicle’s passenger, 55-year-old Leslie Marie Gaines of Northeast, was critically injured in the crash and later pronounced dead at a local hospital. The United States Attorney’s Office has consulted on the charges following the incident, and an autopsy is planned to further investigate Gaines’ death.