Police said the crash occurred at the Parthenon restaurant about 12:15 p.m., the height of the lunch hour, in the middle of the 5500 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, a few blocks south of the Chevy Chase Circle and the Maryland line.
The Parthenon and its adjoining Chevy Chase Lounge are among a diverse group of shops that include other eateries, a Starbucks, a fish market and an Exxon gas station. On warm days, such as Friday, when temperatures climbed into the low 60s, people fill tables that spill out onto the wide sidewalks and patio areas.
Duncan Bedlion, a D.C. police commander who runs the 2nd District station, described the driver as an older man who apparently lost control of the vehicle as he drove north on Connecticut Avenue.
He said the driver was alone and was cooperating with investigators.
“It was truly an accident, from what we can tell right now,” Bedlion told reporters. “There is no indication this was intentional in any form or fashion.”
Seven people have now been killed in traffic crashes so far this year, the same number as of this time last year, according to police records. City data shows about 500 people have been injured so far this year.
Last year the District recorded 40 traffic fatalities, the most since 2007, fueled by what authorities say is a proliferation of unsafe driving during the coronavirus pandemic that reflects an alarming rise in traffic deaths nationwide.
From the northbound lanes, the driver of the SUV would have crossed two lanes of oncoming traffic on a street that is typically packed with vehicles and serves as a gateway into the District.
Kristi Teemsrushed from a nail salon when she heard sirens from the many emergency vehicles converging on the block and said it appears the driver found his way through a rare, single empty parking space outside the Greek restaurant, recognizable by its signature blue-and-white awning that juts out onto the sidewalk.
After plowing through the seating area, the SUV ended up diagonal on the wide sidewalk, its back end partially under the awning. It appeared to have slammed into the doorway of a dry cleaning shop, with broken potted plants and chairs scattered about.
Bedlion said it appears the victims were all adults and that most had been seated at a table for lunch. John A. Donnelly, Sr., chief of the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services department, described the events as “a tragedy.”
Becky Pulles and Christian Borjas were seated at a table outside a Starbucks shop, about 75 feet from the Parthenon. They saw a gray SUV crossing Connecticut Avenue and accelerating. The two could hear the engine gunning.
“It suddenly accelerated,” Pulles said. “It looked like someone hit the accelerator instantly. It was going super-fast, like police-car fast.”
The SUV jumped over a curb, went in between columns of the Parthenon Restaurant’s outdoor awning, and plowed into people, including those seated at tables, they said.
“It was horrific,” Pulles said.
Borjas, a nurse from California who is temporarily working in the area, rushed over. He said that he and several others lifted the SUV off an injured woman, and helped pull her out.
Borjas said he helped open the door for the driver, who he said appeared to be about 80.
“He walked out. He was scared. You could tell it wasn’t intentional,” Borjas said. Police confirmed the driver of the SUV was elderly.
Zoe Smith, manager of Core 72, a women’s clothing store two doors down from the restaurant, heard a loud car crash and ran out to the sidewalk.
She said she saw about seven men lift the front of the SUV to help two or three people get out. “That was pretty remarkable,” Smith said.
Luz Lazo and Emily Davies contributed to this report.