An off-duty D.C. police officer was killed after his car crashed into the back of a fuel truck on Insterstate 270 Friday.
Jelani Prather, 36, of Rockville, died around 1 p.m. Friday. He was assigned to the fifth district motorcycle evening shift and had been working as an officer since 2001.
Maryland state police said the initial investigation revealed that Prather veered his 2011 Scion XB, apparently without braking, into a truck resting on the shoulder of I-270. The truck driver saw Prather’s vehicle coming and attempted to drive away, but Prather struck the rear end of the truck. The truck’s bumper smashed the passenger compartment, killing Prather.
Police are continuing to investigate the accident.
