DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt found probable cause during a hearing on Feb. 9 that a defendant caused a car crash that killed a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer.
Jerrold Coates, 47, is charged with second-degree murder while armed for his alleged involvement in a high speed vehicle collision that killed MPD Officer Terry Bennett on the eastbound lanes of I-695 near South Capitol Street, SE on Dec. 23, 2025.
According to court documents, Officer Bennett succumbed to his injuries on Jan. 7.
The prosecution called the lead detective from MPD’s Major Crash Investigation Unit (MCIU) to testify about his knowledge of the incident.
In footage of Coates’ post-arrest interview, an individual the lead detective identified as Coates admitted to drinking one or two shots and smoking cigarettes and marijuana with friends before the incident occurred. “I wasn’t drunk enough to be drunk driving,” Coates told another detective in the video.
According to the lead detective, Coates’ report showed his blood alcohol concentration was .16 – double the .08 legal limit.
In the video interview, Coates, who is paraplegic and wheelchair bound, explained the hand controls that allow him to drive his vehicle have a history of malfunctioning, saying “even the brake will make the accelerator accelerate.” However, he told the other detective he did not get them fixed or raise concerns to the manufacturers.
Rachel Cicurel, Coates’ attorney, noted there were details of the investigation the lead detective did not remember or was unsure of. “There’s a lot of witnesses to keep track of,” said the detective.
The prosecution argued Coates was intoxicated when he chose to drive home at dangerously high speeds, weaving through traffic. They asserted that Coates operated his vehicle so irresponsibly that, according to rulings from the DC Court of Appeals, the vehicle should be classified as a dangerous weapon. They also noted that DC requires all drivers to adjust their speed according to any traffic “to avoid colliding” with anything.
Cicurel argued the investigation was incomplete, with important elements missing. According to Cicurel, there was no evidence that Coates was driving at or above the speed limit, therefore the vehicle was not a dangerous weapon. Cicurel claimed that the detective’s difficulty in remembering the details of witness statements demonstrated a poor investigation, especially “in a case where the [victim] is a fellow police officer.”
Judge Brandt admitted that although the lead detective was a credible witness, his testimony did not provide much clarity because they are still conducting the investigation. Despite this, Judge Brandt said she believed the “video tells the story here.”
Judge Brandt believed that Coates’ decision to drink and “smoke a J,” or a joint, before driving at speeds significantly faster than traffic and weaving between cars endangered the lives of everyone on the highway and led to the crash.
“A picture tells a thousand words,” said Judge Brandt, finding that regardless whether Coates was driving the speed limit or not, the picture of the damaged police cruiser showed Coates drove dangerously fast.
The image demonstrated that the rear of the MPD cruiser and the front of the Volvo were “so crushed, like an accordion… a car going 20 miles an hour did not do that damage, it couldn’t have,” said Judge Brandt.
Judge Brandt found probable cause that Coates acted in “conscious disregard” for the safety of others and caused the death of Officer Bennett.
After the probable cause finding, Cicurel requested Coates be released on 24-hour home confinement with conditions prohibiting him from driving. According to Cicurel, Coates’ family and community describe him as a positive role model. As a paraplegic, Cicurel argued Coates should not be considered a flight risk, stating “he’s not going anywhere,” since his car is impounded as part of the evidence.
The prosecution argued that Coates’ two prior convictions of driving without a permit demonstrated a history of his driving infractions. The prosecution said if Coates was released, he might violate orders not to drive and further endanger the community.
Judge Brandt denied Coates’ release because of his alleged reckless actions in this case. Judge Brandt said the prosecution’s evidence compelled her to hold Coates, citing there were no conditions to ensure the safety of the community. Other people in the area are “lucky to be alive” after Coates chose to drink and drive a faulty car, said Judge Brandt.
Parties are scheduled to reconvene on May 11.
