One person is dead and two others injured after a multivehicle crash on Interstate 270 in Maryland early Sunday morning, police say.
In a news release, Maryland State Police said troopers responded to reports of two crashes on the northbound side of I-270 near the Montrose Road exit in Rockville around 3:35 a.m. on Sunday.
In their preliminary investigation, police said the drivers of a Tesla Model S and a Toyota Sienna were traveling north on I-270 when the Tesla rear ended the Toyota. Both drivers came to a stop, and the driver of the Toyota, along with two of their five passengers, stayed in the vehicle.
Shortly after the two vehicles had stopped, the third driver, who was traveling north on the interstate, struck the Toyota from behind. Police say the driver of the third vehicle had attempted to swerve out of the way before the impact occurred.
One of the Toyota passengers, 35-year-old Sandra Lorena De Arevala, died at the scene. The two other passengers inside the Toyota were taken to an Inova trauma center for their injuries, according to state police.
The driver of the Tesla in the first collision, 24-year-old Thabiso Mandela Mokuena, was taken into custody on suspicion of driving drunk or high. He was released later in the day, police said.
After the crash has been investigated, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office will decide what charges should be filed.
Here’s an approximate location of Sunday’s multivehicle crash along 1-270: