Where DC carjackings are happening as incidents have increased five years in a row
October 03, 2023 10:15 AM
Carjackings have been on the rise in Washington, D.C., for five years, raising concerns about public safety during a broader crime wave. On Monday night, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) was carjacked by three armed attackers about a mile from the U.S. Capitol.
“As Congressman Cuellar was parking his car this evening, three armed assailants approached the Congressman and stole his vehicle. Luckily, he was not harmed and is working with local law enforcement,” Cuellar’s chief of staff, Jacob Hochberg, said in a statement, confirming the Texas Democrat is unharmed.
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The Metropolitan Police Department confirmed a carjacking at about 9:32 p.m. EDT in the Navy Yard neighborhood but did not release a name at the time.
In the nation’s capital, carjackings have surged by nearly 250% in the last five years, with 148 carjackings in 2018, jumping to 360 in 2020 and 425 in 2021. In 2022, the number of incidents reached 485, according to data analyzed by D.C. from police. This year, there have been more than double the number of carjackings compared to last year, with D.C. police reporting 753 as of Tuesday. Seventy-five percent of carjackings in the city involved guns.
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Carjackings, a robbery in which the assaulter steals a car from the driver by force or by a threat of force, largely occur in northeast Washington, including the neighborhoods of Brentwood, Brookland, Ivy City, Trinidad, Woodridge, Fort Totten, and more. According to D.C. police, these areas, located in the 5th District of Washington D.C., and other wards such as 7 and 8 that share a border with Prince George’s County, see the highest number of carjackings.
District 8 holds neighborhoods such as Anacostia, Bellevue, Congress Heights, Washington Highlands, and Navy Yard, where Cuellar was carjacked. Overall, crime in Ward 8 has risen exceptionally this year. According to Crime Data D.C., there’s been an increase of 40% of crime incidents based on the same period in 2022.