WASHINGTON — Some leaders in D.C. met with Southeast neighbors to talk about why carjackings continue at such an alarming rate, and what's being done to stop them. This follows a violent crime spree in the District and Maryland that left two people shot, one fatally, in carjackings.
DC Councilmember Charles Allen moderated the discussion Tuesday night. He began by highlighting that people in the city are alarmed and scared.
There was an almost 100% increase in carjackings from 2022 to 2023. Of those cases, 77% involved a gun, and the vast majority of those cases were perpetrated by kids.
"Many young people do not see this as a violence against a human being," said Attorney General Brian Schwalb. He's responsible for prosecuting minors in the District.
Schwalb shared the stage with the U.S. Attorney for D.C., Matthew Graves. Graves said an increasing number of those minors are being charged as adults when it comes to those carjackings. Graves said these young people are not committing these crimes as a one-off.
"We're tying to four, five, 10 carjackings over a long period of time. In our estimation, that stops looking like the impetuous crime of a child, it looks like the calculated crime of an adult and it should be prosecuted as such," Graves said.
Graves's office recently charged six teenagers who coordinated a carjacking ring through social media and text messages, writing to each other, "GTA IRL" — Grand Theft Auto in real life.
Also on the panel was Reginald Mathis with Building Blocks DC. The organization was launched in 2021 as the Bowser administration's whole-government approach to address gun violence. It has evolved to become the District-wide strategy to reduce and prevent gun violence.
Mathis stressed the importance of parental involvement in young people's lives.
"When your home isn't functioning normally or positively, you could build bonds outside of the home. The influence of those outside people becomes stronger than what's going on in your house," he said.
Commander Colin Hill said the rise in carjackings may be about status.
"We really do see a lot of it as challenging each other. It's about your status, your reputation," Hill said.
One D.C. foster father at the meeting Tuesday said he saw a 14-year-old in his care arrested in his own backyard after being involved in a carjacking. Charges were completely dropped a short time later, he said.
"It's not being treated as the crisis that it is," Kevin McGilly said. "It requires suppression. I'm sorry, but you gotta stop it from spreading before you can fix the underlying problems."
There were 959 carjackings reported in D.C. in 2023. Of those caught, 62% were under the age of 18. The median age of those arrested for carjacking last year was just 15 years old.
RELATED: 'These are serious offenses' | DC judge orders teenagers charged in carjacking ring held behind bars
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