A 20-year-old Arlington man is facing several charges after a pair of crashes along Route 50 that were caught on camera.
It happened around 5 p.m. this past Wednesday on Route 50 near Rosslyn.
Dashcam video obtained by ARLnow (below) shows a dark gray Tesla zooming by slower traffic and then exiting the highway at the ramp that leads to N. Meade Street. An Arlington police cruiser follows, hopping a curb to get onto the exit ramp. A Ford Mustang can also be seen stopped in a right-hand lane after an apparent collision with the Tesla.
A separate video, posted online by local public watcher Dave Statter, shows the Tesla apparently losing control on the curving ramp, going over a small divider and striking head-on a driver on a Route 50 on-ramp.
Watch: This was an odd one heading to Rosslyn on Rt 50E during afternoon rush hour. It appears there was a crash on 50 before going under the bridge. A car left that scene and had a head-on collision on the ramp near the Marine Corps Memorial. @ArlingtonVaPD were right there and… pic.twitter.com/9CGnc3sYiu
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) February 6, 2025
In a statement, Arlington County police said three people were hurt, including the suspect driver and the driver of the Mustang, who were both hospitalized.
An officer merging from Washington Boulevard onto eastbound Arlington Boulevard observed the suspect vehicle, a Tesla, driving at a high-rate of speed and weaving in and out of traffic. The officer attempted to catch up to the suspect vehicle to conduct a traffic stop and further investigate the traffic offenses but was unable to due to the suspect’s speed. Two additional officers who were in the area of the US Marine Corps War Memorial at the time of the crashes also quickly responded to the scene.
The preliminary investigation indicates the driver of the suspect vehicle was traveling at a high-rate of speed when he struck a vehicle, a Ford Mustang, traveling on EB Arlington Boulevard under the N. Meade Street overpass. The suspect vehicle continued traveling on the eastbound Arlington Boulevard ramp to N. Meade Street when it crossed over the median and struck a second vehicle, a Honda Civic.
The driver of the Ford Mustang, an adult female, was transported to an area hospital with injuries considered non-life threatening. The driver of the Honda Civic, an adult male, reported minor injuries and did not require transport to the hospital.
As a result of the second crash, the suspect vehicle became immobilized. The driver of the suspect vehicle was transported to an area hospital with injuries considered non-life threatening.
The driver was identified as a 20-year-old Arlington man. He was cited for Failure to Maintain Control of the Vehicle, Speeding and Improper Registration, according to ACPD.
“The investigation into the crash is ongoing,” police spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow.
