WALDORF, MD — Newly released police body camera and dashcam video shows how a routine traffic stop in Waldorf quickly turned into a pursuit that ended in a deadly crash on Crain Highway. The footage, released Wednesday, captures the moments after a Charles County sheriff’s deputy pulled over a silver Toyota on Aug. 25.

According to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, the stop began around 10:30 a.m. near Leonardtown Road and Lakewood Drive. The situation escalated after the driver got out of the vehicle holding a Yorkie Terrier, and the front-seat passenger moved into the driver’s seat while the deputy was still at the door.

How the traffic stop turned into a chase

Deputies say the passenger behind the wheel pushed the deputy away from the vehicle and sped off. Authorities said she is wanted on nearly 20 outstanding warrants across Prince George’s County, Montgomery County and Fairfax.

A second passenger, 33-year-old Alexis Cummings, stayed in the back seat as the Toyota drove away. The video release adds a visual account to a sequence officers had previously described: a stop that began on a local roadway and rapidly became a fast-moving police response.

The sheriff’s office said deputies and backup officers followed the vehicle for nearly five miles. The chase moved through busy roadways in Charles County before officers decided the risk had become too high to continue.

Why officers ended the pursuit

Police said they called off the chase after the suspect crossed the median and drove into oncoming traffic. The Toyota was then headed the wrong way on Crain Highway toward Prince George’s County, creating a hazard for other drivers and for the officers following behind.

The decision to stop the pursuit came just before the crash. Law enforcement officials have not said that the pursuit itself was the only factor, but the video and police account show that the vehicle was traveling in the wrong direction when deputies backed away.

Crain Highway is a heavily traveled corridor, and the wrong-way driving raised the danger level sharply. The sheriff’s office said the officers suspended the chase shortly before the vehicle collided with two other vehicles near the county line.

The crash near the county line and its toll

After the pursuit was suspended, the Toyota struck two vehicles near the Charles and Prince George’s county line. Cummings died in the collision, leaving her family devastated, according to officials.

The driver suffered serious injuries. The occupants of the two vans involved in the crash were reported to be okay. Authorities did not identify the driver in the Wednesday release.

The crash turned what began as a traffic stop into a fatal multi-vehicle collision. Police have not released further details about the injured driver’s condition or about whether the other vehicles were occupied by more than one person.

What the body-cam footage adds to the case

The newly released video gives the public a closer look at the split-second decisions that followed the stop. It shows the driver outside the vehicle with a dog in hand, the passenger taking over the driver’s seat, and the deputy being pushed aside before the car pulled away.

It also shows how quickly a local enforcement encounter became a broader emergency response. The sheriff’s office said the chase stretched nearly five miles before officers decided the threat to public safety outweighed the need to continue.

For investigators and the public, the footage helps establish a timeline. It also raises the question of how a stop that started near Leonardtown Road and Lakewood Drive ended with a fatal crash on a major roadway miles away.

Independent review by the Maryland Attorney General

The Maryland Office of the Attorney General is conducting an independent investigation into the incident. That review is separate from the sheriff’s office account and will examine what happened before, during and after the pursuit.

Officials have not yet released the identity of the driver. They also have not said when the attorney general’s review might be completed or whether any findings will lead to additional public action.

For now, the body-cam and dashcam footage stands as the clearest public record of the events leading up to the crash. It shows how quickly a traffic stop can turn dangerous once a vehicle leaves the roadside and enters a high-speed pursuit.