Driver gets 7 years for fatal crash in Landover

Michael Collins received a seven-year prison sentence on Friday for the August 2025 crash that killed Shaunte Canty in Prince George's County.

The 18-year-old was behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle when he ran a red light on Sheriff Road in the Landover area. He was traveling between 63 and 76 mph at the time of the collision. Canty was driving her autistic son to a therapy appointment when her car was struck.

Collins had previously pled guilty to negligent manslaughter and auto theft. Prosecutors charged him as an adult, and the state sought the seven-year term. The maximum possible sentence for the charges was 15 years. The court accepted the lower figure requested by the state.

Canty's family voiced strong disagreement with the length of the sentence. Carletta Chase, Canty's mother, told the court that the time served feels insufficient. "I really don't feel justice got served, because the little time that he did get, my grandkids still are not going to get their mother back and I am not going to get my daughter back," Chase said.

Her sister, Erica Chase, added that incarceration is temporary while the loss of life is permanent. "I feel as though he need more time," she said. "So, the little bit of time he is serving, I don't feel like that’s justice."

Collins read a statement in court where he apologized for the accident and accepted full responsibility. The judge noted a hope that Collins would use his time behind bars to become a better man.