A 19-year-old woman was shot early Sunday morning after a fight broke out at an illegal car meetup on the 3200 block of Hubbard Road in Landover, Maryland, according to police. The shooting happened around 2:30 a.m. and left the young woman with injuries that police say are not life-threatening after she was taken to a hospital.
Prince George's County Police confirmed the shooting occurred at the unauthorized gathering and said the case remains under investigation, as reported by WJLA. Police Chief George Nader addressed the shooting directly, saying illegal car meetups are dangerous and urging “everyone to stop attending potentially deadly car meetups,” per the outlet's report. Nader also urged parents and guardians to tell teenagers and young adults not to attend these events.
The Hubbard Road location sits inside the Washington Commerce Center, a sprawling 305,000-square-foot industrial distribution complex adjacent to U.S. Route 50 and about three miles outside Washington, D.C., according to Commercial Search. Terreno Realty Corporation acquired the three-building property for $77.1 million, and the property's parking areas and proximity to U.S. Route 50 are features of the complex.
A Pattern of Violence at Landover Meetups
This is not the first time gunfire has erupted at a car meetup in Landover this year. Just six weeks earlier, on August 2, a woman was shot during another illegal car meetup in the 2300 block of Beaver Road before she self-transported for medical care, according to a report from the same outlet. Police scoured that scene and interviewed witnesses, the report notes.
Chief Nader has urged people not to attend illegal car meetups. Prince George's County Police reported in May that officers had broken up more than 40 illegal street takeovers across the county so far this year, resulting in 20 arrests, 100 traffic citations, and the recovery of 16 illegal firearms, according to a Prince George's County Council bulletin.
Spectators Now Face Criminal Charges Too
Prince George's County lawmakers have moved to criminalize more than just reckless driving. In May, the County Council enacted Council Bill CB-12-2026, making it illegal to knowingly attend or watch illegal car rallies and street takeovers. First-time spectator violations carry fines of up to $1,000 and up to 60 days in jail, with repeat fines climbing to $2,000 for a second offense and $3,000 for a third, according to the county's legislative announcement.
That local measure builds on a statewide crackdown. Maryland Transportation Code § 21-1116.1 took effect in June 2024, according to Westlaw. Separately, Maryland Transportation Code § 21-1132 is listed in the Maryland General Assembly's statute database, per the Maryland General Assembly.
A Regional Problem Police Struggle to Contain
Police coordinate enforcement against these unpermitted gatherings through the Maryland Car Rally Task Force, a joint multi-agency initiative that includes the Maryland State Police, according to Daily Voice. The outlet reports that the task force helps coordinate enforcement against such gatherings.
The Hubbard Road shooting fits into a broader Washington-area pattern. An August 1 shooting at an illegal car meetup in Woodbridge, Virginia, left a person hospitalized with injuries described as life-threatening. A fatal case from May 2024 also looms over the current crackdown: 26-year-old John Phipps was killed and two other people were injured during a shooting at an illegal car meetup in a shopping center parking lot on Marlboro Pike in District Heights, a case that helped push county law enforcement to seek the stiffer state exhibition driving law now on the books.
Prince George's County Police are asking anyone with information or dash camera footage related to Sunday's shooting to call 301-772-8960 and reference case number 26-0048829. The investigation remains active as police continue tying illegal car meetups to weapons and drug activity across the county.
