Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Esmeralda Montoya-Perez
Age : 33
Gender : Female
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 02/28/2025
Location : Intersection of 23rd Avenue and East-West Highway
City : Chillum
County : Prince George's
State : Maryland
Agency : Hyattsville Police Department
Officer(s) :Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Pedestrian bystander killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 02/28/2025, Hyattsville Police officers attempted a traffic stop on East-West Highway for a vehicle infraction. The driver initially stopped but then drove away at speed, and the officer briefly followed before ending the pursuit. Moments later, the same vehicle drove onto the shoulder and struck Esmeralda Montoya-Perez, 33, who was standing near a bus stop. Police and medics responded; Montoya-Perez was pronounced dead at the scene. Police later took the fleeing driver, identified as 23-year-old Warren Leonard of Washington, D.C., into custody nearby. Officers recovered a handgun with an extended magazine from Leonard’s vehicle. The Maryland Attorney General’s Office’s Independent Investigations Division reviewed the incident, including body-worn and dash camera footage. Montoya-Perez was a mother of two, and family members and community members publicly described her death and mourned her loss.
