13-year-old drove stolen car full of kids in crash that killed man in Germantown

A 13-year-old boy was behind the wheel of a reportedly stolen Kia Optima carrying six other youths that crashed into a second vehicle in Germantown on Tuesday, killing that driver, Montgomery County Police said on Wednesday.

Police identified the victim as William Vance Payne II, 58, of Virginia, who was driving a Toyota Matrix. He died at the scene.

The collision happened shortly before 5:30 a.m. Tuesday near Great Seneca Highway and Clopper Road. Seven young people, ranging in ages from 12 to 15, were in an Optima, including four girls, ages 14, 14, 13 and 12; and three boys, ages 15, 13 and 12.

The Optima was reported stolen from Germantown several hours after the collision, police said.

A preliminary investigation determined that the Optima entered an intersection and struck the Matrix on Clopper Road.

The circumstances leading up to the collision remain under investigation, police said.

The teen driving the Kia was in critical but stable condition, and another occupant of the car was in critical condition, according to the county fire department. The others sustained injuries of varying severity and were transported to several area trauma centers.

It may take Montgomery County Police’s Collision Reconstruction Unit several weeks or longer to complete the investigation, police said.

Any charges related to the collision will be made by the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Dozens of first responders arrived at the scene, said Pete Piringer, spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.

Photos provided by the county fire department show that the two vehicles were both heavily damaged.