Death by Cop 2026
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Diana Carolina G. Hernandez
Age : 17
Gender : Female
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 02/17/2026
Location : Broken Land Parkway near wooded area off Route 32 (Patuxent Freeway)
City : Columbia
County : Howard
State : Maryland
Agency : Howard County Police Department
Officer(s) :Brian Maurantonio
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Driver killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 01/17/2026 at approximately 1:50 a.m., a Howard County police officer activated lights and siren in an unmarked patrol vehicle to stop a Honda Accord for speeding on Route 32 in Columbia. The driver, later memorialized at the scene as 17-year-old Carolina G. Hernandez, did not stop and continued driving as the officer pursued. Police body-worn video shows the officer radioing that the vehicle had crashed, overturned in a ditch off Broken Land Parkway, and caught fire in a wooded area. Officers stopped short, reported no visible movement, and waited for backup before approaching due to safety concerns. About ninety seconds later, additional officers arrived and approached the wrecked vehicle as flames intensified. The car was fully engulfed, and officers attempted to put out the fire until Howard County Fire and Rescue arrived. Hernandez died at the scene inside the overturned, burning vehicle. The Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division opened an investigation into the fatal crash that followed the police pursuit. Memorial items placed at the site, including a cross and rosary beads, publicly identified her and noted her recent 17th birthday in October.