A quiet stretch of highway outside Washington, D.C., became the scene of sudden violence on Sunday afternoon, when a man identified as a U.S. State Department foreign service officer allegedly launched a deadly stabbing attack following what authorities described as a road rage incident. The suspect, 32-year-old Jared Llamado of McLean, Virginia, ultimately died after being shot by a Virginia State Police trooper who responded to the scene.
The incident unfolded shortly after 1:17 p.m. along Interstate 495 southbound in Fairfax County, a heavily traveled beltway surrounding the nation’s capital. According to Virginia State Police, the situation began as a property-damage crash but escalated rapidly into a violent attack involving a knife. Dispatch audio later obtained by media outlets indicated that the suspect began stabbing multiple people in the roadway, creating a chaotic scene that left several victims injured and one person dead.
Authorities say Llamado fatally stabbed 39-year-old Michele Adams during the attack. Three additional victims — Dana Bonnell, 36, Mary C. Flood, 37, and Heather Miller, 40 — were also wounded. Investigators stated that the victims were not inside Llamado’s vehicle and that the attack does not appear to have been targeted. In addition to the human victims, police reported that Llamado also stabbed his own dog to death during the incident.
When a Virginia State Police trooper arrived at the scene, the suspect was reportedly armed with a knife and confronted the officer. According to an official statement released by the agency, the trooper fired his weapon in self-defense. Llamado was transported to a nearby hospital with serious injuries but later died. The trooper involved in the shooting was not injured.
“A Virginia State Police trooper was called to the scene at approximately 1:17 p.m. for a reported road rage incident,” the department said in a statement. “When the trooper arrived on scene, he was confronted by a male suspect carrying a knife. The trooper then shot the suspect in self-defense.”
In the aftermath, the U.S. Department of State confirmed that Llamado was employed as a foreign service officer. The agency released a brief statement acknowledging the event and expressing condolences. “We are aware of the tragic incident that involved a Foreign Service Officer and occurred on Sunday, March 1, in Fairfax County, Virginia,” a spokesperson said. “We extend our deepest condolences to all those affected by this tragedy.”
The violent episode stands in stark contrast to Llamado’s professional and academic background. According to his LinkedIn profile and social media accounts, he began studying applied information technology at George Mason University in 2011 and graduated in 2015 with a 3.76 GPA. He reported earning magna cum laude honors and appearing on the dean’s list during seven of his eight semesters.
After college, Llamado worked in several technology roles, including positions as an IT network engineer and a senior solutions engineer at private technology firms. In November 2021, he began working as a senior network engineer at LMS Technical Services. In September 2024, he joined the U.S. Department of State as a diplomatic technology officer, a role that supports communications and technical systems used by U.S. diplomatic missions overseas. His online profile indicated he had been living in Copenhagen, Denmark, during that assignment, though he appeared to have returned to the United States recently.
Just days before the attack, Llamado shared what appeared to be a routine social media update. On February 22, he posted a photo showing himself dining with friends and coworkers, captioning the image, “Dinner with my long time friends and coworkers!” The post would become his final public update before the deadly incident.
Investigators continue to piece together the events that led to the sudden violence on one of Northern Virginia’s busiest highways. For the victims and their families, the tragedy marks a devastating end to what began as an ordinary Sunday afternoon.
