WASHINGTON — DC Police have announced the arrest of a 13-year-old boy from Northeast who allegedly went on a crime spree over the past month, committing various offenses between March 27 and as recently as Tuesday.
Police did not release the boy's name due to his age, however, he has been accused of an armed robbery in which he allegedly hit a Northeast D.C. woman in the back of the head with a hammer multiple times, a carjacking with a gun, stealing cars and two assaults, among a long list of other crimes. The boy is twice accused of committing as many as three crimes in one day.
A court spokeswoman says a judge on Friday ordered the young man held, and set a hearing for him on Wednesday, April 27.
Video from a Ring doorbell allegedly shows him grabbing a Maryland woman who was in Kingman Park in Northeast DC on April 11. She screamed for her son, who lives at the location, and pulled a garbage can to shield herself. Her attacker and another boy or man ran off.
"My mom is a pretty tough woman, but it could definitely have gotten a lot worse. The guy had his hand in his pocket the whole time, so he could have potentially had a weapon," said Forest Krueger, the victim's son.
Another woman tells WUSA9 she thought the suspect was about 13 when he attacked her. Although he was about 5 feet, 5 inches tall, she said he had a child's voice.
Another family was attacked on Rhode Island Avenue NW on April 19. A man said they'd driven into the city from Maryland to help his sister fix a flat tire. He said the 13-year-old jumped into the empty car and tried to drive off. His father dragged the teen out of the car and then was approached by a second suspect allegedly waving an assault rifle.
"My dad said, 'Go ahead, shoot me! You'll kill your buddy,'" the man said. The two suspects eventually got away.
Find the full list of his alleged offenses, including their locations, below.
Theft One (Stolen Auto): Unit block of M Street Northeast, on March 27
Armed Robbery (Gun): 900 block of G Street, Northwest, on March 27
Unarmed Carjacking: 1300 block of 4th Street, Northeast, on March 27
Attempted Armed Carjacking and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Hammer): 900 block of 12th Street, Northeast, on April 7
Assault with Intent to Commit Robbery: 700 block of 19th Street, Northeast, on April 11
Armed Carjacking (Gun): 1600 block of D Street, Southeast, on April 12
Unarmed Carjacking: 1400 Oates Street, Northeast, on April 12
Attempted Armed Robbery (Gun): 1300 G Street, Northeast, on April 17
Theft One (Stolen Auto): Unit block of Massachusetts Avenue, Northeast, on April 19
Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Gun): Unit block of Rhode Island Avenue, Northwest, on April 19
Armed Carjacking (Gun): 1400 H Street, Northeast, on April 19
The cases currently remain under investigation. Anyone who has knowledge of the incidents should take no action but call police at (202) 727-9099 or text your tip to the Department's TEXT TIP LINE at 50411. DC Police currently offers a reward of up to $10,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of a person responsible for a violent crime committed in the District.
These crimes are just the latest to involve a young teen.
In an unrelated incident on Thursday, another D.C. boy was charged with armed carjacking after a group of suspects pulled out a handgun while trying to take a car on April 5.
Police were called to the 1000 block of Bryant Street, Northeast on the day of the incident after, around 1 a.m., a group of suspects walked up to a victim in a car.
The group proceeded to take the victim’s things and drove off in their car. Although the car has not yet been found, on April 19, the 14-year-old was arrested and charged with armed carjacking using a gun.
The crimes come a week after Assistant Chief Morgan Kane said that citywide robberies are up 58% and carjackings are up 47% compared to the same time last year in the District.
Kane added in the last 30 days crime has spiked. They said they've seen the crimes increase the most along the U Street Corridor and in Columbia Heights.
The problem of youth crime has been one officials in the DMV have been working to address.
In February, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks addressed the growing and disturbing carjacking trend in a joint news conference, alongside D.C. Police.
MPD Chief Robert Contee said his officers will be moving to the border of Prince George’s County. He said a number of carjackings start in D.C. and cross over into Prince George’s county and vice-versa.
Both Chiefs, Contee and Malik Aziz of Prince George’s County, said it’s going to take more than officers to stop these kids from stealing cars.
"Playtime is over,” Chief Contee said.
2021 was one of the worst years in recent history for carjackings. According to leaders, of the 132 carjackings in D.C., 85 of those arrested were under the age of 18. Across the border, 152 carjackings, 86 of them by a juvenile.