WASHINGTON — A DC Police officer was shot in Northwest on Monday and two men are in custody, the police department said.
The shooting happened near 7th and Oglethorpe Streets, Northwest.
At 12:09 p.m., a call came in about the shooting. DC Police said one of their officers was on his way to work in their personal car when he saw a vehicle driving erratically.
At some point, that vehicle stopped in front of the officer's vehicle. One of the people inside the car got out and shot at the officer's car – injuring the officer, before getting back in the car and taking off.
“That’s what I don’t understand, why?” asked neighbor Regina Taylor. “Was he a victim? Did they know him? Why did they target him?”
The officer, a captain with 18 years of experience, got a partial license plate and called it in on his police radio before driving himself the quarter mile to the 4th District Station.
DC Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said the District's Real Time Crime Center put out the suspect description and license plate.
“As soon as the partial plate came out the real-time crime center pushed notification of vehicle and plate our Falcon [helicopter] and officers began to canvass the area,” Chief Smith explained. “Falcon tracked the vehicle into Landover, Maryland where the vehicle crashed, and two suspects were taken into custody.”
After a police pursuit, the suspect's vehicle crashed in Prince George's County – at Landover Road and Kent Town Place – with officers from multiple jurisdictions surrounding it. The vehicle was on its side. Just before the crash, officers say they saw what appeared to be a gun thrown from the car. That gun was recovered by investigators.
Two men have been taken into custody. They are being held in Prince George's County but will need to be returned to D.C.
Northbound lanes of Landover Road between Pinebrook Road and Fire House Road were closed for the investigation.
Two bullet holes were found in the officer's car, one in the back passenger door and one in the front passenger window. The officer was taken to Medstar Washington Hospital Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. He was released from the hospital hours later.
Chief Smith said the officer's quick thinking helped police find the two men who are now in custody.
"We will not tolerate this type of violence in our city," Smith said. "We will use every resource, as we have been with any incident, to make sure no one gets away with this type of crime."
The shooting is the second time in as many days a DC Police officer has been injured on the job.
On Saturday, an officer was stabbed in the neck when a man experiencing a mental health episode drew a knife while being taken into custody. Another officer on the scene then shot the man, identified as 28-year-old Jonathan Jefferson of Northwest. Both Jefferson and the officer were believed to have injuries not considered life-threatening.
In February, three officers from the department’s criminal apprehension unit were shot in Southeast while serving an arrest warrant for animal cruelty. The suspect, 46-year-old Julius James, then barricaded himself inside a residence for hours. He was eventually taken into custody. All three officers who were shot, as well as a fourth officer who sustained other injuries, were expected to recover.
WATCH NEXT: Police search for person responsible in shooting at Maryland car meetup that left 1 dead, 2 injured
Do you have a news tip on this story or any other story? We want to hear from you. Tell us about it by emailing newstips@wusa9.com.
MORE WAYS TO GET WUSA9
DOWNLOAD THE WUSA9 APP
Apple App Store: WUSA9 News on Apple
Google Play Store: WUSA9 News on Android
HOW TO ADD THE FREE WUSA9+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WUSA9.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "WUSA9" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE WUSA9 NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to our daily WUSA9 Newsletter for top stories from WUSA9 curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Commanders content, weather, and more delivered right to your inbox.