D.C. Police are on the lookout for a group of women who may had the munchies so bad they allegedly stole about $150 in snacks from a 7-Eleven convenience store in Dupont.
A dozen women filed into the 7-Eleven at 1645 Connecticut Ave. NW just before 2 a.m. on Aug. 12, according to a police report. Once inside, some of the women grabbed chips, drinks and other snacks before bolting from the shop without paying. Though one of the store’s cashiers tried to stop them, the women ran away with roughly $150 worth of snacks and drinks, authorities said.
A new police video appears to show the moment the mass theft occurred. In the video, a group of happy, smiling women can be seen walking into the convenience store. Several of the women appear to stare directly into the camera as they walk past; one woman even seems to fix her hair while gazing into the camera. Then, seemingly without warning, the women make a break for it.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the women in the video to contact them by calling 202-727-9099 or texting tips to 50411.
A 7-Eleven store that sparked a community petition opposing its existence will open tomorrow.
The store, located at 2300 14th Street NW, will serve as host for a “grand opening celebration” commemorating its successful opening.
The Change.org petition originally called for residents to rise up against a new 7-Eleven convenience store coming to the ground floor of the Solea condo building at 2300 14th Street NW.
Ezra Weinblatt, who lives in the condo and originally filed the petition, told us in July he was “not impressed by the processed and sugary foods that they sell,” and hoped “to get enough support behind the opposition to … demonstrate that the neighborhood would rather have a more local bodega, clothier or anything else.”
Much to Weinblatt’s dismay, the petition caused an outcry among those who felt it smacked of crypto-classism.
“I had no idea I would have so many detractors,” Weinblatt said in August. “I thought this was a slam dunk. The petition was accused of being classist. It couldn’t be anything further from the truth.”
Come tomorrow, will Weinblatt be able to resist the siren song of supersized sodas and cheesy stuffed Doritos?
“I’m not going to support it for the first 6 months,” Weinblatt added. “But I wouldn’t rule it out [later]. It’s not going to stay open because I buy a bottle of water once every six months.”
From Cody Telep. Follow him on Twitter @codywt, email him at cody[AT]borderstan.com.
DC Police are asking for assistance in identifying the suspects in two recent armed robberies of 7-Eleven stores in the area. Police have not announced whether the two cases may be related.
Crime news from Dupont-Logan-U Street.
In the first incident, the 7-Eleven at 1622 7th Street NW, near the Shaw-Howard University Metro station, was robbed by two masked men at about 5:30 am the morning of July 24. MPD has posted a video with surveillance footage from the armed robbery. No one was injured but the suspects did take money from the store’s cash register.
The 7-Eleven at 1115 U Street NW was also robbed by two masked men in an incident early Tuesday morning (see U Street Gun Robbery: 7-Eleven Robbed by Masked Gunmen). The two suspects stole money from the register and then fled in an unknown direction. No injuries were reported.
According to a news release from the Police, the suspects are described as “a black male in his early 20s, 5’11-6’0 tall, slim build, dark complexion, last seen wearing a full mask, gray jeans and a gray shirt,” and “black (unknown sex) in their early 20s, 5’6″ tall, slim build, medium to light complexion and last seen wearing a face mask, blue jeans and dark hooded shirt.” MPD also posted a photo of the two suspects — although identifying them may be difficult as both are masked.
Update: Police have now also released a video with surveillance footage from the U Street 7-Eleven robbery.
Anyone with information in either of the robberies is asked to call MPD investigators at 202-727-9099. MPD offers rewards of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest in a robbery case.
From Cody Telep. Follow him on Twitter @codywt, email him at cody[AT]borderstan.com.
Crime news from Dupont-Logan-U Street.
The 7-Eleven at 1115 U Street NW was robbed at gunpoint by two masked men early Wednesday morning, August 1. The gun robbery occurred at about 4:30 am. The suspects were both described as black males, one wearing a gray shirt and dark pants and the other wearing a dark shirt and dark pants.
A tweet from the MPD (@DCPoliceDept) confirmed that it was the 7-Eleven: “3D ROBBERY (7-11) 12TH & U ST NW/LOF B/M GRAY SHIRT, DK PANTS, DK COMPLEX, MASK/B/M DARK SHIRT AND PANTS, MASK, DK COMPLEX/5269.”
This gun robbery follows a shooting near the 7-Eleven early Saturday morning, July 28. In that incident, two women were shot and sustained non-life threatening injuries (see Early Saturday Morning Shooting on 1200 block of U Street NW). Two women were also shot the prior weekend in the 1100 block of U Street NW on July 21 (see Update on Early Saturday Morning Shooting, 1100 Block of U Street NW). In addition, there was a a gun robbery at 11th and U Streets NW at 1:44 am on Sunday, July 8.
Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) reported that a low-caliber weapon that police initially believed was a BB gun was used in the July 28th shooting. According to comments he made to the The Washington Post, Graham does not believe the two shooting incidents are related. He noted the most recent shooting was particularly troubling, because the two women shot were bystanders that did not appear to be the intended targets. Graham tweeted Monday that he was on U Street “talking about what we need to do to reduce crime.”
