MTA light rail operator sentenced for crash that killed football player

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland — An MTA light rail operator was sentenced Friday to 18 months in prison for a fatal crash that killed high school football prospect Lamar Patterson as he walked to high school in February 2022, State Attorney Anne Colt Leitess announced.

Tavon D. Smith, 44, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, with the first two months to be served at the Anne Arundel County Detention Center and the remainder under house arrest.

“MTA protocol requires light rail operators to stop and remain at each station for 30 seconds before proceeding,” Leitess said. “It was determined that the defendant waited only a few seconds before stopping at the previous station, causing the safety barriers to fail to deploy in time to warn Lamar Patterson as he crossed the Maple Road crossing in Linthicum. The defendant also failed to heed the flashing crossing warning lights that informed him that the barriers were not yet down, and this combination led to the collision with Lamar’s Honda. Had the defendant followed the rules, this tragic death could have been avoided. The loss of a young man with a bright future is a tragedy for his family and his school community.”

“These lawsuits and the investigation by Anne Arundel County Police have revealed that MTA light rail operators may not be following protocol on this critical safety issue because, unless they stop for the required amount of time at each station, the warning lights and barriers simply do not have time to deploy and alert motorists of an approaching train. I hope that the story of Lamar’s death will lead to enforcement of these rules, which are in place to keep our community safe.”

On February 2, 2022, Lamar Patterson, a 17-year-old football player at Saint Frances Academy who had offers from several prestigious colleges and universities, was heading west on Maple Road in a Honda Accord when a train driven by Smith approached the intersection, striking Patterson's vehicle and killing the teenager. He had come to Maryland from Florida to attend Saint Frances Academy, where he was staying with a host family.

At the time, it was believed that Patterson may have driven around the crossing gates. Video footage of the crash later revealed that the crossing gates were not down at the time of the collision. It was also revealed that the driver, Smith, ignored the MTA protocol of waiting the required 30 seconds at the station and waited only three seconds before continuing on his route. He ignored the flashing crossing warning lights that would have alerted him that the gates were not down. As a result, the guardrails were not down when Patterson entered the intersection at the time of the crash.

On Friday, Smith pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in Annapolis.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant State's Attorney Carolynn Grammas on behalf of the citizens of Anne Arundel County, with the Honorable J. Michael Wachs presiding.

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