Man Fights Off Would-Be Bike Thieves in Shaw

A man fought off a knife-wielding would-be thief who tried to steal a bicycle with an accomplice in Shaw this past weekend, according to authorities.

The incident occurred on the 1500 block of 6th Street NW about 7:45 p.m. Sunday.

The man was smoking outside when he saw two people starting to cut the lock off a bike near P Street NW, police said. He then confronted them, and one of the individuals came at him with a kitchen knife.

But the man was able to stop the would-be thief’s attack with a kick to the chest, causing the individual to fall down and drop the knife. The man and the would-be thief then fought briefly before the would-be thieves fled.

Authorities haven’t released any suspect descriptions.

A thief also used pepper spray on two people in a robbery in Columbia Heights over the weekend, police said.

The crime happened on the 1400 block of Irving Street NW about 4:30 a.m. Saturday.

The victims were walking with another person just west of the Columbia Heights Metro station when two individuals approached and told them to hand over their belongings, according to authorities.

The thieves eventually got a cellphone, money and possibly other items from the victims. One of the robbers shot pepper spray in the faces of two of the victims soon after.

One of the pepper spray victims then chased the thieves and got back at least some of his belongings.

Police haven’t released any suspect descriptions.

According to authorities, other crimes that occurred in the Borderstan coverage area since Friday night included:

• A robbery in which a woman was put in a choke hold and dragged on the 1300 block of Corcoran Street NW in Logan Circle about 6:45 p.m. Friday. Police released this tweet with a suspect description:

ROBBERY (Force & Violence) at 1830 HRS at 13th St/ Corcoran Street, NW. Lookout for B/M; 5'11", 30-35, dark brown complexion.

— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) December 17, 2016

• A robbery in which a man was robbed at gunpoint on the 1700 block of 17th Street NW in Dupont Circle about 1:45 a.m. Saturday. Police haven’t released any suspect information.
• A double stabbing on the 1400 block of 18th Street NW in Dupont Circle about 3 a.m. Sunday. Police haven’t released detailed suspect descriptions.
• A kidnapping and robbery on the 1600 block of Monroe Street NW in Mount Pleasant about 3:30 a.m. Sunday. Police haven’t released detailed suspect descriptions.
• An attempted robbery in which a woman was thrown to the ground on the 1000 block of N Street NW in Shaw about 6:45 p.m. Sunday. Police released this description of the suspect:

“[Male], 5’8″, med build, wearing black hoodie.”