The Philadelphia Daily News
LANCASTER, Pa. — A Lancaster man already charged with killing a mother and three young children while racing his car on Roosevelt Boulevard last month is now facing charges of impersonating an emergency responder during a bizarre roadway incident in Lancaster County.
Manheim Township police charged Khusen Akhmedov, 23, with impersonating a public servant and reckless driving on Monday stemming from a July 8 incident — about a week before the fatal crash.
According to the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal, a criminal complaint says a woman told police that a man driving a silver Audi, with a Philadelphia Police Department sticker on the rear bumper, passed her twice driving at a high rate of speed. The woman said the driver was yelling and waving a gold badge out the window at her.
The woman said the man continued to drive fast after he passed her, and was nearly struck by other vehicles as he sped through the intersection of New Danville Pike and Marticville Road. She told police he also ran a red light at Long Lane and Willow Street Pike and made a left turn from the right lane.
The woman got the car’s license plate number, and police later identified Akhmedov as the driver, according to the complaint.
When police spoke with Akhmedov, an ambulance driver, he had a “generic gold EMT badge,” and admitted waving it at the other driver, the complaint states.
Akhmedov is in jail on $2.5 million bail for the July 16 crash that killed Samara Banks, 28, and her three youngest sons as they were crossing Roosevelt Boulevard at 2nd Street about 11 p.m.
The Russian-born Akhmedov and Ahmen Holloman, 30, of Philadelphia, are both charged with vehicular homicide and related charges. Police said the two were drag racing at the time of the crash.
Akhmedov’s preliminary hearing, which had been scheduled for today, will be delayed, said defense attorney Todd Henry. He said the crash was simply a tragic accident.
“The way the coroner is going to call it, it’s an accident, and he’s sorry for that,” Henry said of his client. He insisted Akhmedov was not drag racing, but added, “A small percentage of the people drive the speed limit [on Roosevelt Boulevard]. It’s not labeled one of the most dangerous roads for a throwaway reason, and he’s told me how sorry he is.”
Henry said he was not aware of the most recent charges in Manheim Township, and he declined to comment on Akhmedov’s eight speeding tickets, dating back to 2004.
In addition to his alleged roadway antics, Akhmedov was also indicted as part of an ambulance company’s scheme to bilk Medicare out of $3.6 million by submitting fraudulent insurance claims.
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