A Washington D.C. police sergeant was arrested by federal agents and local police after he allegedly crashed into authorities while attempting to flee from law enforcement. Sgt. Montez Clark, 27, faces multiple weapons charges and was charged with assault on a federal police officer. According to a police report, he was driving a blue Chevrolet Camaro that crashed into a vehicle containing three Diplomatic Security Service agents. Clark and two other men—Sakou Yates, 25, and Russell Campbell, 23—also faced charges including possession of a machine gun, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered gun, possession of unregistered ammunition, possession of a large-capacity ammunition-feeding device, and violation of the National Firearms Act. Campbell additionally faced a charge of felon in possession.
MPD officers observed a Camaro with “an equipment violation” at about 9 p.m. Monday in the 4700 block of Southern Avenue SE. When police attempted to stop the vehicle, Clark fled and crashed into the agents’ car. The Diplomatic Security Service is the law enforcement arm of the State Department. Officers and federal agents stopped the car and discovered two Glocks, including one with a switch, along with multiple types of ammunition. All three men were arrested and taken to the Sixth District cellblock for processing, with the Camaro seized as evidence.
Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser stated, “We’re going to watch the process very closely. We don’t want anybody working for us, especially in that capacity, if they’re engaging in that type of behavior.” The report noted that Clark’s gun possession privileges, granted as an active-duty police officer, were revoked after the collision. Clark, who has been with the Metropolitan Police since July 2019 and works in the Fifth District, faced charges including assaulting a federal police officer, fleeing from law enforcement, and multiple gun-related offenses. Yates and Campbell received identical gun charges, with Campbell additionally charged for possessing a weapon as an ex-felon. MPD confirmed Clark is on administrative leave as the department’s Internal Affairs Bureau investigates.