A 68-year-old man in Maryland faces charges in connection with a sprawling carjacking and shooting spree that reportedly ended only after the final vehicle he entered turned out to have a manual transmission, which he could not operate.
Larry James Simpson now faces 71 charges, including multiple counts of attempted murder, first-degree assault, and armed carjacking, according to court records. A grand jury handed down the indictment on Thursday.
On May 15, Simpson allegedly targeted 17 different victims at random across Greenbelt, College Park, and Riverdale in Prince George’s County, Maryland, authorities claim.
The rampage reportedly began around 2:30 p.m. when he shot at a 64-year-old man on Pierce Avenue in College Park. He then crashed a stolen car before getting out and firing his weapon again, Washington, D.C., Fox affiliate WTTG reported.
Simpson allegedly carried an assault-style rifle as he shot at a woman before stealing her car, law enforcement said. An off-duty police officer reportedly witnessed the carjacking and followed the suspect, leading to a chase during which Simpson allegedly fired at the officer.
When the defendant reached Riverdale, he flipped the stolen car while speeding and jumped out while still firing his weapon, authorities say. That’s when he ran out of ammunition.
When Simpson reached a third car and stole it, he realized it had a manual transmission and that he didn’t know how to operate the clutch, prosecutors said, according to regional NBC affiliate WRC. At least two people were hurt in the rampage, one from a bullet and another from shattered glass.
Authorities have not offered a suspected motive for the crime spree. They have, however, expressed frustration that the defendant was free to walk the streets after he was reportedly convicted of first-degree murder in 1987 and released into a special program in 2022.
Simpson is due to appear in court on July 10.