Three occupants died and a fourth remained hospitalized with life-threatening injuries early Monday after a Virginia State Police chase along I-395 ended in a crash at Shirlington Circle. First responders performed CPR at the scene, and the interchange remained shut down for hours.
The crash happened just before 1 a.m., according to ARLnow, which reported that Virginia State Police had been chasing a vehicle on I-395 before the pursuit ended in the crash at Shirlington Circle. Troopers had attempted to stop the vehicle after identifying it as stolen from Prince George’s County. Arlington County Police, Arlington Fire Department personnel, and Alexandria Fire Department personnel all responded to the scene.
Three of the four vehicle occupants died, and the fourth remained hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. Shirlington Circle remained blocked as of 3:30 a.m., per the same report.
A Familiar and Dangerous Stretch of Road
Shirlington Circle has a long, grim history of serious wrecks tied to its confusing tangle of ramps linking I-395 with local streets in Arlington and Alexandria. Just last October, a Virginia State Police chase along northbound I-395 ended when a fleeing suspect exited at Shirlington Circle and struck an uninvolved vehicle on South Randolph Street before running off on foot, according to Daily Voice; that driver was later apprehended in a nearby parking garage.
The interchange's dangers predate that incident by years. In June 2020, a 55-year-old driver was killed when his sedan struck a jersey wall on the ramp leading to the northbound I-395 Express Lanes, ARLnow reported at the time, noting that a female passenger was also hospitalized. An Arlington County Police motorcycle officer was injured in a crash inside the circle in April 2022, underscoring that the interchange has posed hazards to law enforcement as well as civilian drivers.
Regional Traffic Has Ground to a Halt Here Before
The interchange's design has also produced disruptions that ripple across the broader region. In July 2023, a collision between a propane tanker truck and another vehicle at Shirlington Circle shut down southbound I-395 for several hours and hospitalized three people, according to Patch, with hazardous materials crews working to cool the overturned tanker to prevent an explosion.
Officials have considered ways to address the recurring problems. A proposed Shirlington Circle SMART SCALE Project would address long-standing safety and operational hazards at the interchange. Arlington County and Alexandria ultimately decided not to submit a joint application for that funding cycle.
What the Law Says About Pursuits Like This
Virginia troopers engaged in emergency duties are permitted under state law to exceed posted speed limits and proceed past red signals, subject to due regard for the safety of persons and property. Under Virginia Code § 46.2-920, the red-signal exemption allows the use of lights and a siren, or lights with specified slowing, yielding, or stopping precautions.
All four people involved were occupants of the suspect vehicle, and police believed they were under 18.
