DC Officials ‘Sorry’ to Hear About Police Boat Crashing Into Other Boats on Potomac

Seems like DC’s emergency vehicles can’t stay out of the news. While the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services is trying to cool off from a string of flaming ambulances, now it appears that the Metropolitan Policed Department is taking a plunge. Or, rather, making one.

On Saturday evening, harbor patrol officers down by the Georgetown waterfront were called to respond to an emergency further down the Potomac River. As the boat swung around, though, it collided into two private crafts docked next to the Washington Harbour complex, one of which sank.

Fortunately, the Internet came through with raw footage of the crash.

As WUSA-TV reports, one of the officers aboard the police boat told a boat owner to “relax.” The operator of the craft that sank was just borrowing it for the Labor Day weekend.

Officials have not said what the police boat was zipping toward when it smashed into the other vessels, and the consequences of the collision are still under wraps. “This matter is under investigation and we are working with the Office of Risk Management to address claims by owners of vessels that may have been damaged,” MPD spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump tells Washingtonian.

At a press conference today, Paul Quander, DC’s deputy mayor for public safety, said he was “sorry to hear that event unfold” when asked about the boat crash. Mayor Vince Gray said he agreed, but did not say anything else about the incident.

Benjamin Freed

Staff Writer

Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.