A robber put a gun to a woman’s face while stealing her car in broad daylight near U Street yesterday.
The carjacking happened on the 1200 block of W St. NW around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, according to D.C. Police. The area where the crime occurred is two blocks from the U Street corridor.
The victim was in her car on W Street when someone opened her driver’s side door and pressed a gun to the surface of her cheek, according to a police report. The armed thief then yanked the woman out of the car and jumped behind the wheel.
Several other people got in the vehicle before it sped down the road, police said.
The victim reported minor injuries to her face but refused medical attention at the scene.
Police tweeted descriptions of three of the suspects yesterday:
Armed Carjacking (Gun) in the 1200 block of W street NW LOF: (3) B/M‘s juveniles occupying a grey Toyota Rav Ford
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) November 22, 2016
Photo via Google Street View
(Updated Wednesday at 5:47 p.m.) A man who was found with a self-inflicted stab wound in Thomas Circle Park yesterday morning has died.
D.C. Fire and EMS personnel received a report that a man was injured and unconscious in the park around 9:20 a.m. yesterday.
The man, identified by the Washington Post as Paul Wegerson, stabbed himself in the abdomen with a pair of scissors, according to a D.C. Police spokesman. Though paramedics rushed Wegerson to a local hospital soon after he was found, he later died from his wounds.
Wegerson, 35, worked as a director at Burson-Marsteller, a public relations and communications firm with offices about a block from Thomas Circle.
Additional photos by Samantha Moore
Someone shot a man near the border of Columbia Heights and Park View last night, according to D.C. Police.
The shooting occurred on the 3300 block of Sherman Ave. NW around 10:45 p.m. yesterday.
Officers responded to a call for a shooting along that block and found a man “suffering from a gunshot wound.”
The man was taken to the hospital, where he is recovering.
Police did not provide a lookout for a suspect. Authorities tweeted about the crime shortly after it occurred:
Shooting at 2244 hrs in the 3300 block of Sherman Ave NW. No lookout at this time//4692
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) November 6, 2016
Photo via Google Street View
Someone behind the wheel of a U-Haul truck drove into and killed a man near Union Market early this morning.
The fatal collision happened near the intersection of New York Ave. and 4th St. NE just after midnight, according to D.C. Police.
The driver of the truck was headed west on New York Avenue when they hit someone in the road, police said. The person who was hit by the truck, a man, died at the scene.
The U-Haul driver remained on the scene, according to police.
Authorities have not yet identified the man who was struck and killed.
More information from MPD:
Someone was shot near Truxton Circle and NoMa this evening, police said.
The shooting happened on the 1100 block of 1st Terrace NW. The area is close to the Sursum Corda low-income housing cooperative between North Capitol and 1st streets NW.
This is the second shooting to happen in that area in less than a week. Someone shot a man in the leg on the 1100 block of Sursum Corda Court NW last Thursday.
Police put out the following tweet about the crime:
Shooting in the 1100 block of 1st Terrace, NW. Lookout for 1 young B/M, last seen southbound on McKenna Walk, NW pic.twitter.com/6Zn3lzK2nU
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) October 24, 2016
We were unable to reach a representative with D.C. Police for more information. We’ll update this story when we learn more.
(Updated at 8:19 p.m.) Someone stabbed a man in Columbia Heights this afternoon, according to D.C. Police.
The violent crime occurred at or near the intersection of 14th and Irving streets NW.
The area where the stabbing happened is close to the Columbia Heights Metro station and the DC USA retail development.
Officers found a man suffering from a stab wound to his lower abdomen, according to police spokeswoman Aquita Brown. The man was conscious at the scene of the crime.
Authorities tweeted about the stabbing just after 5:15 p.m. today:
3D is working a confirmed Stabbing at 14TH street and Irving St NW. LOF a B/M tall wearing a gray shirt. 10237
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) October 16, 2016
(Updated at 9:55 a.m.) A man riding a motorcycle was critically injured in a crash near Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant yesterday evening.
The collision happened on the 3100 block of 16th St. NW around 6:45 p.m. yesterday, according to D.C. Police.
“A motorcyclist was traveling northbound in the 3100 block of 16th St. NW when he attempted to swerve to the left of a vehicle, who was also traveling northbound on 16th Street in the far left lane,” police said in a statement. “In an attempt to pass the vehicle to the left, the motorcyclist side swiped the left front of the vehicle. This caused the motorcyclist to cross the double yellow line into oncoming traffic where he struck another vehicle, who was traveling southbound on 16th St. NW.”
The man was thrown from his motorcycle in the crash, police said. Paramedics rushed the motorcyclist to the hospital in critical condition.
Authorities closed the intersection for several hours last night, causing some traffic backups in the area:
https://twitter.com/GoForTopherB/status/786728257081188352
Read a full brief of the incident from MPD below:
Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) Major Crash Unit are investigating a traffic accident with injury that occurred on Thursday, October 13, 2016, at approximately 6:46 pm.
A motorcyclist was traveling northbound in the 3100 block of 16th Street, Northwest when he attempted to swerve to the left of a vehicle, who was also traveling northbound on 16th Street in the far left lane. In an attempt to pass the vehicle to the left, the motorcyclist side swiped the left front of the vehicle. This caused the motorcyclist to cross the double yellow line into oncoming traffic where he struck another vehicle, who was traveling southbound on 16th Street, Northwest.
The motorcyclist, an adult male, was then propelled from his motorcycle. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services transported the motorcyclist to a local hospital, where he was admitted and is listed in critical condition. No other injuries were reported.
This case remains under investigation. The Metropolitan Police Department is asking anyone with information about this case to call the police at 202-727-9099. Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the departments TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.
D.C. Police are investigating reports that someone fired a gun several times in or near Franklin Square downtown earlier this evening.
Authorities first received a report that shots were fired near the intersection of 14th and K streets NW around 5:17 p.m. this evening, according to Officer Hugh Carew, a D.C. Police spokesman.
Nobody was injured by the gunfire, Carew said.
The gunshots rang out as many people were heading home from work. Witnesses reported hearing the sound of at least three gunshots, according to the Washington Post.
Police reportedly found bullet casings at the scene:
Additional pics from shooting scene at Franklin Square Park. No one hit, but bullet casing found pic.twitter.com/YfmghVzNHm
— Peter Hermann (@phscoop) October 12, 2016
File photo
Someone armed with a gun forced a man to hand over his “money, money, money” during a violent robbery in Shaw last night.
The robbery and assault happened on the 400 block of M St. NW just before midnight yesterday evening, according to D.C. Police.
A man was sitting in a gated patio area in front of his home when he was approached by a person with a white gun, according to a police report. The person pointed the gun at the man and said simply, “money, money, money.” When the man offered up his cell phone, the robber knocked it to the ground, punched the man in the face and again repeated, “money, money, money.”
The victim then gave the robber his wallet, which contained about $800 in cash. The victim also gave the robber a small handgun, police said.
The thief was last seen with two other people heading north on the 1200 block of 5th St. NW.
3D ROBBERY/400 BLOCK M ST NW/LOF B/M BLK HAT, BLK SHIRT & BLUE JEANS W/2 OTHER B/M'S WEARING ALL BLK CLOTHING/5269 pic.twitter.com/YuSJzENaM4
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) September 21, 2016
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine last night pushed back against comments made by outgoing D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier, who recently called the city’s criminal justice system “beyond broken.”
Speaking during a meeting of Dupont Circle’s advisory neighborhood commission, Racine challenged Lanier’s assessment that failures at local and federal agencies allowed the same criminals to commit violent crimes over and over again.
“I completely disagree with Chief Lanier’s characterization that the criminal justice system is broken beyond repair,” he said.
Though Racine acknowledged that the District doesn’t have authority over many agencies that play a role in catching criminals — like the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, which supervises people on probation and parole — he questioned whether that lack of authority actually imperiled criminal justice in D.C.
“The reality is that those agencies actually do a pretty good job,” Racine said.
The attorney general pointed to the District’s low rate of recidivism, or someone becoming a repeat offender, as proof of those agencies’ effectiveness.
“Do you know how many people on a given day in the District of Columbia are on probation or parole? 11,000, 1 in 64,” Racine said. “Do you know what the rate of recidivism is during the time of supervision by CSOSA? One percent.”
Racine continued: “So when people say the system is broken beyond repair, they kind of don’t tell you what the agencies do.”
And although the attorney general said he shared many of Lanier’s “frustrations” over repeat offenders, he also questioned whether the criminal justice system was at fault.
“Whose responsibility is it when you’ve got an individual who was on probation or parole, did their time on probation or parole without being rearrested, and sometime thereafter, [they] commit a crime?” Racine asked. “Is that the criminal justice system? It certainly can’t be the fault of CSOSA. I think there’s a lot of other players that need to come in.”
For instance, Racine said the District needed to do more in the way of rehabilitating criminals, not just catching them and locking them up.
“You need to have the District of Columbia … intensely provide the kind of case management, services, mental health, housing, drug abuse, job training, to allow these folks to have an opportunity to move in a direction that’s not merely criminal,” Racine said.
“Could it be improved? Damn right it can be improved, in so many ways,” he added. “It’s up to you and up to your elected attorney general to … try to improve it.”
Assistant Chief Newsham gives latest on fatal police-involved shooting. pic.twitter.com/X9VTJYZLyI
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) September 11, 2016
(Updated at 4:13 p.m.) A D.C. Police officer shot and killed a man who drove his motorcycle into a police car near 3rd and M streets NW early this morning.
Police received a call for a motorcyclist “driving erratically” on the 1700 block of U Street around 4:20 a.m., according to an MPD press release.
An officer located and stopped the motorcyclist near the intersection of 3rd and M streets NW, which is about a block north of New York Ave. NW. When the officer began exiting his car on the passenger side to apprehend the motorcyclist, the man on the motorcycle “intentionally drove into the passenger door,” according to authorities.
“At that point, shots were fired,” MPD Assistant Chief Peter Newsham said in a video the police department shared this morning.
The motorcyclist, identified by police as 31-year-old Terrence Sterling, was brought to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Newsham said the officer who shot the driver has been placed on routine leave and an investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
Read the full MPD press release regarding the shooting below:
D.C. Police are on the lookout for three people connected to an armed robbery that occurred near the H Street corridor earlier this summer.
Two thieves armed with handguns approached two people who were sitting on a bench on the 800 block of 12th Street NE on June 15 around 3:30 a.m., according to an MPD press release. The robbers then stole a debit card, Metro card, driver’s license and some cash from the victims.
The thieves were last seen heading west on Atlas Street NE.
Police tweeted about the crime shortly after it occurred:
Robbery Gun //800 blk of 12th Street, NE //LOF (2) B/M's wearing ski masks, both armed w/ handguns (1) wearing army jacket //6559
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) June 15, 2016
A new video today shows three people using a victim’s stolen Metro card, police said.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about those people to contact them by calling 202-727-9099 or texting tips to 50411.
Authorities are still on the lookout for four men connected a violent robbery and attempted sexual assault that occurred in Shaw’s Blagden Alley about two weeks ago.
The crime happened in an alley on the 900 block of M St. NW around 3 a.m. on Aug. 7.
As we reported earlier this month, a robber threw a man to the ground and punched him before patting him down for money, authorities said. When the robber found the man had no money, he told the man to perform oral sex on him. But the man called out to a bystander who came to his aid, causing the robber to run off with the man’s backpack.
Police yesterday released a video that shows four men they believe are connected to the crime. In the video, the men can be seen walking through or near Blagden Alley.
MPD is asking anyone with information regarding the crime to call them at 202-727-9099 or text the department’s tip line at 50411.
Video via MPD
D.C. Police officers are set to take locals on a leisurely bike ride through two historic neighborhoods next month.
The police department’s second and third districts will host a community bike ride on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 11 a.m., police tweeted last week.
The ride — which is slated to occur rain or shine — begins at Logan Circle and takes cyclists through a three-mile course that spans the neighborhoods of Dupont and Logan.
D.C. residents who want to participate are instructed to wear a helmet and bright clothing, police said.
D.C. Police officers are set to throw a party with free food, fun, games and school supplies on 14th Street this week.
MPD’s final “Beat the Streets” event of the summer is scheduled to take place at the Rita Bright Family and Youth Center (near 14th St. and Clifton Terrace NW) Thursday from noon to 7 p.m., according to an event flyer.
The festivities are part of an annual summer series of events meant to help boys and girls avoid crime and other illegal activities.
Police officers will hand out school supplies to everyone who wants them during the event. The party will also include “food, fun, music [and] love,” according to the event’s organizers.
Past “Beat the Streets” celebrations have had a rock climbing wall, a moon bounce and other games and activities. The events also generally feature information and handouts on safety and local services.
Local R&B outfit “Prophecy Entertainment Music Group” is slated to play at the event, according to a Facebook event post.
Photo via Facebook/Beat the Streets DC
