The number of carjackings in Washington D.C. has reached a recent high so far this year. The city has faced a sharp increase in crime over the past four years, highlighting conservative criticism of the District of Columbia’s approach to crime.
By the end of November, the city had seen more than 911 carjackings. More than three-quarters of the carjacking cases included suspects armed with firearms.
Meanwhile, less than a third of carjacking cases in the city so far this year have actually been closed, and only 159 suspects have been arrested.
Law enforcement stated that almost two-thirds of arrests made in carjacking cases involved minors.
D.C. residents voice support for mayor’s new crime bill as shootings, carjackings rage onhttps://t.co/wlayKf5WQH pic.twitter.com/z3pOPXSOyc
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) December 4, 2023
Furthermore, should the rate of carjackings continue at its current pace, 2023 will see about double the number of carjackings in the city compared to 2022.
Despite the increase in this specific type of crime, Washington D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department wrote on its website that “Statistically speaking, however, your chances of being a victim of carjacking are very slim, and taking preventive measures can reduce that risk even more.”
There have been a number of high-profile cases of carjackings in the city in recent months. In October, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) was the victim of a carjacking. Last month, Secret Service officers protecting the granddaughter of President Joe Biden opened fire on attempted carjackers.
After the incident, Cuellar said, “if somebody breaks the law, then you make sure you enforce that law. Otherwise, it’s going to continue going. I mean, how can you have, at the nation’s capital, over 900 carjackings in 11 months? That’s just something that has to change.”
Washington is not alone among major cities to see an increase in crime since the 2020 George Floyd riots. However, Washington appears to be among the worst affected by the increase in lawlessness.
Washington has seen an increase in intentional accident robberies, similar to the high-profile example in Los Angeles earlier this year. In one case, robbers intentionally rammed a BMW. When the luxury vehicle pulled off the road, the robbers confronted the BMW’s driver and passengers while armed and seized the vehicle.
In another case, armed carjackers stole the vehicle of an FBI agent.
