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Elizabeth Velez, 36, of Easton, Pennsylvania, has been identified by state police as the victim in the crash on Tuesday night in Montgomery County, officials say.
Shortly before 11:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 1, Maryland State Police in Rockville received several reports of a white Mercedes SUV that was driving in the opposite lanes of I-270 near Rockledge Drive.
Police say that Jayleen Hannor, 23, of Macon, Georgia, made his way southbound in the northbound lanes of I-270 until he hit the outer loop of I-495.
The Mercedes eventually crashed into a Lexus and Nissan Pathfinder being driven by Velez with children inside on I-495 near Route 355, injuring several people, including kids between the ages of 2 and 15.
According to officials, front seat passenger John Tejada, 36, and a 15-year-old girl who were passengers in the Nissan were taken to Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center. A 2-year-old and 5-year-old child were taken to Inova Hospital in Virginia.
Velez was rushed to an area trauma center, where she was pronounced dead.
According to investigators, five adults in the Lexus also had to be transported to area hospitals for treatment of various injuries.
Photos from the crash scene show all three vehicles, which suffered extensive damage.
Hannor attempted to flee following the crash, but he was ultimately located by state police troopers and arrested without further incident.
He was taken to the hospital, where he is under police guard.
Hannor faces pending charges that include driving under the influence, and failure to immediately return and remain at the scene of a crash involving death.
Additional charges are pending a consultation with the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office.
Following the crash, the outer loop of I-495 was temporarily shut down. It reopened around 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
This is a developing story.
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