Police: Man climbs out of moving car on I-495, tries to jump onto semi truck
WASHINGTON (7News) — Three lanes of the I-495 inner loop were closed for a time Thursday afternoon due to an "incident" near Route 450.
Maryland State Police say troopers from the College Park Barrack responded around 3 p.m. for reports of "a body lying in the roadway."
"Upon their arrival, the body of a man wearing black sweatpants and a gray sweatshirt was found lying in the travel portion of I-495," a release says. "A black Honda Accord was located on the right shoulder with the engine running and in neutral."
A tractor-trailer driver told investigators that he saw the man "jump out of the open driver’s side window and attempt to jump" onto the back of his truck.
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That semi driver also said he witnessed the Honda "continue to travel without anyone inside the vehicle." Police believe the Honda traveled on the right shoulder before it struck the guard rail, where it came to rest.
The witness’s description of the Honda driver matched that of the man troopers found lying in the road, police say, and multiple witnesses provided similar accounts.
The man is identified as 30-year-old Mahmoud Diop of Washington, D.C. He was taken to Prince George’s Hospital Center for medical treatment.
SkyTrak7 was on the scene about an hour after the incident occurred, while police had three lanes shut down to conduct an investigation on the shoulder.
