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Shaunte Denise Canty

Age : 35

Gender : Female

Race : Black

Date : 08/26/2025

Location : Sheriff Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Highway

City : Landover

County : Prince George’s

State : Maryland

Agency : Seat Pleasant Police Department; Prince George’s County Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/26/2025, at approximately 3:50 p.m., 35-year-old Shaunte Denise Canty of Washington, D.C., was driving east on Martin Luther King Jr. Highway in Landover with her young child when a stolen vehicle carrying four teenage boys ran a red light on Sheriff Road and struck the side of Canty’s vehicle. Canty died at the scene. Her child was seriously injured but survived.
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The events leading to the fatal crash began when Seat Pleasant police officers spotted a vehicle that had been reported stolen on 08/22/2025 in the area of Seat Pleasant Drive and Joplin Street. Rather than immediately attempting a traffic stop, a Seat Pleasant officer began following the stolen vehicle from a distance while police waited for helicopter assistance from the Prince George’s County Police Department.
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Seat Pleasant police said the officer was deliberately maintaining distance to avoid alerting the driver. An on-duty police commander subsequently ordered the officer to stop following the vehicle. Police said the officer complied with the order and turned back toward Seat Pleasant.
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Shortly afterward, the stolen vehicle accelerated north on Sheriff Road. Its driver ran the red light at Martin Luther King Jr. Highway and crashed into Canty’s vehicle as she traveled through the intersection.
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Three teenagers in the stolen vehicle were injured and hospitalized. A fourth was taken into custody at the scene. Police initially reported that the four boys were between 15 and 17 years old.
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Prince George’s County police subsequently identified the driver as Michael Collins. Prosecutors charged Collins as an adult. In October 2025, a Prince George’s County grand jury indicted him on charges connected to the stolen vehicle and Canty’s death.
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On 03/31/2026, Collins pleaded guilty to grossly negligent manslaughter by motor vehicle and auto theft. Prince George’s County prosecutors confirmed that Collins was driving the stolen vehicle when he ran the red light and struck the vehicle carrying Canty and her child.
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The Prince George’s County Police Department Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit investigated the fatal collision. The police account distinguishes the Seat Pleasant officer’s actions from a formally declared pursuit, describing the officer as following the stolen vehicle from a distance and then disengaging on a supervisor’s order before the collision. The fatal sequence nevertheless originated with police surveillance of the stolen vehicle immediately before it accelerated away and crashed into Canty.
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Canty was the mother of two children. Her family established a fundraiser following her death to help with funeral expenses, her injured child’s medical needs and care of her children.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
The Seat Pleasant police officer who followed the stolen vehicle and the on-duty commander who ordered the officer to disengage have not been publicly identified.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/08/26/prince-georges-woman-dead-juvenile-car-crash/
https://www.foxnews.com/us/maryland-mother-killed-when-4-teens-stolen-car-slam-her-her-child
https://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2025/08/woman-dead-3-teens-injured-after-prince-georges-co-crash/
https://pgpolice.blogspot.com/2025/08/pgpd-investigating-fatal-two-vehicle.html
https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/departments-offices/news-events/news/states-attorney-announces-indictment-charges-related-fatal-mlk-crash
https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/departments-offices/news-events/news/states-attorney-announces-plea-fatal-mlk-crash-killed-35-year-old-woman
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/dc-woman-killed-2-car-crash-4-teens-stolen-vehicle-identified
GoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-shaunte-cantys-family-after-tragic-loss