(JESSUP, MD) — One person was killed early this morning after the vehicle he was driving was struck by a car that minutes earlier had fled from a trooper who attempted to stop it for speeding in Howard County.
The deceased is identified as Biik Chong, 26, of Halethorpe, Md. He was pronounced dead after being transported to the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. Chong was driving a 2007 Dodge Charger.
The passenger in Chong’s vehicle is identified as Lian M. Kung, 44, of Halethorpe, Md. She is being treated for injuries at the UMD R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center.
The driver of the vehicle that struck Chong’s car is identified as Natalia Diaz-Valle, 18, of Jessup, Md. She was driving a 2007 Honda Accord. A passenger in her car is identified as Phillip L. Dorsey, 21, of Jessup, Md.
Both Diaz-Valle and Dorsey were transported to the UMD R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center where they were treated and released. Upon their release, both were transported to the Maryland State Police Waterloo Barrack.
Just before 1:00 a.m. today, a trooper in a marked Maryland State Police patrol car was monitoring traffic in the area of eastbound Rt. 100 near Snowden River Parkway, when a vehicle entered radar at a speed of 70 mph in a posted 55 mph zone. The trooper activated his emergency lights in an attempt to stop the Honda Accord. The driver of the Honda, later identified as Diaz-Valle, immediately accelerated and quickly took the exit for Rt. 103.
Within seconds, the trooper lost sight of the vehicle, but continued on in the same direction. Minutes later, the trooper came upon the scene of the crash on Rt. 103, just east of Rt. 1.
The preliminary investigation indicates Diaz-Valle failed to stop for a red light at Rt. 1 and Rt. 103. Chong was turning out of a fast food restaurant parking lot onto westbound Rt. 103, when he was struck in the driver’s door by the oncoming Honda driven by Diaz-Valle.
The preliminary investigation indicates speed and alcohol are possible contributing factors. Investigators are in contact with the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office. Charges are pending, but have not been filed at this time.
