Man says 'it's just a joke' after video shows Jeep speeding around National Mall grass
A rogue driver sent passersby scattering on Saturday, June 21 after he tore through the lawn on Washington, D.C.'s National Mall.
A black Jeep was caught on camera on Saturday evening, June 21 speeding over the manicured grass and dirt walkways of the national park area, a landscaped grass lawn stretching from the U.S. Capitol Building to the Washington Monument Grounds.
In a video of the incident, the car can be seen kicking up dust as it revs down a path, races across the lawn, does a U-turn and then speeds back down another dirt roadway. Later, police reports described the driver as "doing donuts" across the grass and zig-zaging between pedestrians who had to make "fast movements" to avoid being hit.
Red and blue lights flash in the background alongside groups of onlookers as police motorcycles follow the vehicle.
See video of car speeding across National Mall
The man eventually drove off the Mall onto another street and was arrested, the National Park Service (NPS) told USA TODAY. Though the area was crowded at the time due to warm weather and summer events like the Smithsonian's Solstice Saturday and the Giant National Capital BBQ Battle, no one was hurt in the incident, according to authorities.
Police declined to release the man's identity or charges until his appearance in D.C. Superior Court on Monday, June 23.
'It's just a joke,' driver reportedly told authorities
According to court documents reviewed by USA TODAY, Curtis Lear, 30, is facing a slew of charges, including destruction of federal property, assault with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct, fleeing from law enforcement in a motor vehicle, reckless driving, operating a vehicle off-road in a way that damaged protected land, aggravated reckless driving, failing to maintain control of a motor vehicle to avoid danger to people, property, or wildlife, and using a vehicle in a manner that endangered public safety.
Lear initially was able to flee from the scene, where witnesses had reported seeing his car doing "donuts" on the Mall and "weaving through pedestrians at a high rate of speed." Police tracked the license plate back to his Southeast D.C. apartment, where he was arrested.
He reportedly rolled down his window and told authorities, "It's just a joke" when they initially tried to stop him on the scene. When questioned later, he told police he wasn't "really sure" if he had driven in the area that day and then claimed he didn't even know where the National Mall was.
Lear appeared in D.C. Superior Court on Monday, June 23 and will remain in police custody without bond until his next scheduled hearing on June 26.
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