WASHINGTON — A man DC police believe was targeted by a gang of kidnappers is urging any new victims to avoid fighting back like he did.
Officers say the group has kidnapped five other men in less than a week, dragging them to ATMs and forcing them to withdraw hundreds of dollars in cash.
WUSA9 spoke to one of the victims, who has asked to only be identified by his first name. Drew is a 30-year-old government consultant who said he was walking alone from a nightclub along Georgia Avenue when he was attacked by three guys who hit him in the head with what looked like a handgun.
Unlike all the other people attacked, Drew fought these guys off.
"It all happened so quickly, my adrenaline took over," he said.
Drew said he feels traumatized now, but in the moment, he said he had no time to be scared.
"One had a gun, immediately drawn at my head and he was the one giving the commands," he said, describing the moment they jumped him.
Police believe the guys who attacked Drew were captured on surveillance cameras. They are searching for three or four guys who've allegedly kidnapped five other people over a violent five late nights and early mornings, blindfolding and zip-tying their hands, stealing their phones, IDs and bank cards, and using ATM's to withdraw money from their bank accounts -- or forcing them to do it.
But Drew is not convinced it was a real gun.
"The weight and sound the gun made when he tapped my head led me to believe it was a plastic Airsoft gun," he said.
So Drew did exactly what police are advising people not to do. He fought back.
"The response to their aggression and some of the resistance of my own prompted them to freeze momentarily," Drew said. "I think it prompted them to lose a little confidence in the situation."
The men ran off -- and Drew ran after them.
"You can have my cash, it's in my money clip, just throw the wallet on the ground," he yelled at one of them.
One of the men yelled at his co-conspirator to toss the wallet, which he did, and then they all ran off.
"I reacted the way I did based off a gut feeling in the moment," Drew said. "But you can never be certain. And in some sense, I'm still not certain it was a fake gun. It could have gone south in so many ways."
Police believe the same gang of men who attacked Drew kidnapped another guy a half-hour later. Officers said they are desperate to catch them before the violence escalates and someone really gets hurt.
The suspects are described as three or four black males, possibly 20-29 years of age. One of the suspects is described to have a curly, high-top fade hairstyle.
There’s a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. Call DC police at 202-727-9099. Additionally, information may be submitted to the TEXT TIP LINE by sending a text message to 50411.
Here are details provided by the Metropolitan Police Department on some of the other attacks:
Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division are seeking the public's assistance in identifying and locating suspects in connection to Kidnapping while Armed (Gun) offenses that occurred in the First, Third and Fourth Districts.
First District
On Saturday, August 28, 2021, at approximately 3:45 am, the suspects approached the victim in the 500 block of 13th Street, Northeast. The suspects brandished firearms and forced the victim inside of a vehicle. The suspects drove the victim to an ATM and obtained the victim’s account information to withdraw funds from the victim’s bank account. The suspects then released the victim at a secondary location and fled the scene.
Third District
On Tuesday, August 24, 2021, at approximately 10:30 pm, the suspects approached the victim in the 1300 block of Corcoran Street, Northwest. One of the suspects brandished a handgun and additional suspects forced the victim inside of a vehicle. The suspects drove the victim to multiple ATMs and withdrew funds from the victim’s bank accounts. The suspects then released the victim at a secondary location and fled the scene.
On Saturday, August 28, 2021, at approximately 2:20 am, the suspects approached the victim in the 1200 block of 10th Street, Northwest. The suspects brandished firearms and forced the victim inside of a vehicle. The suspects drove the victim to an ATM and obtained the victim’s account information to withdraw funds from the victim’s bank account. The suspects then released the victim at a secondary location and fled the scene.
Fourth District
On Wednesday, August 25, 2021, at approximately 11:00 pm, the suspects approached the victim in the 5200 block of 14th Street, Northwest. One of the suspects brandished a handgun and ordered the victim inside of a vehicle. The suspects obtained account information from the victim and then forced the victim out of the vehicle at a secondary location. The suspects later withdrew funds from the victim’s bank accounts.
On Thursday, August 26, 2021, at approximately 1:14 am, the suspects brandished handguns and approached the victim in the intersection of 14th and Allison Street, Northwest. When the victim attempted to flee, the suspects assaulted the victim and forced him into vehicle. The suspects obtained property and account information from the victim. The suspects drove the victim to multiple ATMs and withdrew funds from the victim’s bank accounts. The suspects then released the victim at a secondary location and fled the scene.