Md. Man Gets 100 Months in Prison for Auto Fatality; Black Box Aids Police

A Lanham, Maryland man has been sentenced to 100 months in prison in connection with a fatal high speed car crash in Northwest Washington, D.C. in 2004, according to United States Attorney Kenneth Wainstein.

Guy Bordes Agnant, 29, was sentenced in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia by the Honorable Robert Richter to serve 100 months of imprisonment for the fatal high speed crash that took the life of John C. Johnson, Jr. on Nov. 30, 2004. Agnant pled guilty on Oct. 18, 2005, to one count of Involuntary Manslaughter.

At the time of the collision, Johnson, a financial planner, was reportedly on his way to help his sister who had locked her keys in her car at her place of employment. The defendant’s vehicle was equipped with a “black box,” which reportedly indicated that the defendant’s car was going 90 miles per hour seconds before colliding with Johnson’s car.

At the previous plea proceeding, testimony was proffered by the government that on Nov. 30, 2004, at approximately 12:55 a.m., a driver of a vehicle was stopped at a red signal eastbound on Irving Street at the intersection with Park Place, NW. He was second in line at the signal behind a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis.

As the light cycled to green for traffic on Irving Street, the Mercury moved into the intersection when a light brown colored Buick reportedly passed the red signal at a high rate of speed and struck the Mercury broadside on the driver’s side. The force of the impact caused the Mercury to be pushed laterally in a southerly direction on Park Place where it struck and mounted the southeast curb, entered a grassy median, continued south on the median and came to a final rest approximately 143 feet from the point of impact.

After impact, the Buick continued to travel south in the 3000 block of Park Place leaving lateral scuff marks, coming to a final rest approximately 129 feet from the point of impact. There were no markings indicating any attempts by the Buick to brake prior to impact.

Seconds after the cars came to a final stop, the driver behind the Mercury observed the defendant crawl out of the driver’s side of the Buick and fall to the ground several times. The driver of the Buick was later identified as Guy Bordes Agnant.

Agnant reportedly attempted to flee the scene by flagging down a taxi, but was thwarted by the intervention of the driver behind the Mercury.

Based on observation by investigators from the Major Crash Investigation Unit, the defendant exhibited the odor of alcoholic coming from person and breath and appeared to be under the influence of alcoholic a short time after the actual crash. Blood was taken and the defendant reportedly had a blood alcohol content of .065. Accident reconstruction and subsequent testing on the “black box” inside the Buick concluded that Agnant was traveling at approximately 90 miles per hour at the time of impact.

The driver of the Mercury was identified through his driver’s license as Johnson. Johnson had to be extricated from his vehicle by District of Columbia Fire Department and EMS units. He was transported to Washington Hospital Center, Medstar Unit and admitted in critical condition. He was pronounced dead from his injuries at 1:37 a.m. by Dr. Golocovsky of the Medstar staff.

It was later learned that Agnant had fled a traffic stop by Metropolitan Police about 10 minutes before the fatal crash.

Agnant reportedly had two previous impaired driving convictions.