Background: The aftermath of the stabbing on Interstate 495 in Virginia (WTTG/YouTube). Inset top: Jared Llamado (Facebook). Inset bottom: Llamado with a knife in his hand (WRC/YouTube).
A federal employee went on a stabbing rampage on a major Washington, D.C.-area interstate, killing one woman and injuring three others before being shot dead by a responding state trooper.
Jared Llamado, 32, apparently killed 39-year-old Michele Adams and caused "serious injuries" to a 36-year-old woman, a 37-year-old woman, and a 40-year-old woman, the Virginia State Police said in a press release. Llamado's dog was also stabbed to death, officials said.
It was about 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, and Llamado and the victims were driving on Interstate 495 in Fairfax County, Virginia. The highway encircles Washington, D.C., and it is also referred to as the Capital Beltway.
A woman and her daughter told local NBC affiliate WRC that they were driving home to North Carolina when Llamado sideswiped their SUV. The daughter said she wanted to pull over, but they both realized the other driver wasn't focused on them.
"I told my mom, I'm like, 'Hey, let's pull over,' and she said 'For what? The guy's kept going,'" Jennifer Paxton said. "I mean, we watched him weave in and out of traffic following another car."
They reportedly did end up pulling over behind Llamado's red SUV. Then, they allegedly saw him start stabbing the people in another vehicle.
A Virginia State Police trooper was called to the scene at about 1:17 p.m. "for a reported road rage incident," the law enforcement agency said. The trooper arrived and was "confronted" by Llamado, who reportedly still held a knife. The trooper shot the suspect "in self-defense."
Area Fox affiliate WTTG spoke with a man who claimed he saw the aftermath of the deadly attack.
"I look at the side of the road and I see two people lying on the side of the road; they were about … 10 or 15 feet apart and they were just covered in blood, like, blood everywhere," the witness said. "One of them was not moving, and one of them was sort of crawling."
Authorities found the four victims at the scene, where Adams "succumbed to her injuries," Virginia State Police said. The other three women were taken to area hospitals with "serious injuries."
After being shot by the trooper, Llamado also had "serious injuries" and was taken to a hospital where he died. The trooper was not hurt.
A preliminary investigation found that none of the women who were stabbed were in Llamado's vehicle, according to the Virginia State Police, which added that he did not know the victims before the attack. Investigators believe the attack occurred after a crash on Interstate 495 southbound, though how the crash occurred remains under investigation.
Llamado, who lived in Fairfax County, Virginia, was an employee of the U.S. Department of State, a department spokesperson told regional radio outlet WTOP.
"We are aware of the tragic incident that involved a Foreign Service Officer and occurred on Sunday, March 1, in Fairfax County, Virginia. We extend our deepest condolences to all those affected by this tragedy," the spokesperson said.
The trooper who shot Llamado has been placed on leave pending the outcome of an investigation, Virginia State Police said.
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