A D.C. Superior Court jury has found 38-year-old Silver Spring resident Spiro Stafilatos guilty in the December 2022 vehicular death of pedestrian Shuyu Sui, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Stafilatos was convicted Friday on charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault while armed, and fleeing. Sentencing is scheduled for June 25 before Judge Rainey Brandt.
Prosecutors said the incident began around 4:28pm on December 30, 2022, when U.S. Secret Service officers on bicycle patrol observed a dark Buick LeSabre with a missing front tag and an invalid Maryland rear tag near the White House.
According to court documents, officers approached the vehicle after it stopped along 15th Street NW and informed Stafilatos about the tag violation. During the stop, officers allegedly noticed what appeared to be an open beer container inside the vehicle and instructed him to place the car in park because it remained in drive.
Instead, prosecutors said Stafilatos sped away northbound on 15th Street NW before entering the intersection at New York Avenue NW against a red light. The Buick was struck by another vehicle traveling on a green signal, causing the car to spin into two pedestrians crossing nearby.
Sui later died from her injuries at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. A second pedestrian, Jiahui Wang, was hospitalized with head and body trauma.
Authorities said Stafilatos was treated for injuries at Howard University Hospital before being arrested. He has remained in custody since the crash.
The case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jamie Carter and Will Lawrence.
