BLADENSBURG, Md. — Two D.C. boys are recovering after they were shot in Bladensburg, police said. Witnesses told officers that someone shot the kids as they were attempting to steal a car.
The boys - ages 12 and 15 - were shot on 53rd Avenue and driven to a residence in the 4900 block of Just Street, Northeast D.C. shortly after noon, officials said. They were taken to local hospitals for medical treatment.
Bladensburg police responded to reports of sounds of shots fired at The Village at Hillcrest Apartments located on 53rd Avenue around 11:35 a.m. That is a 10-minute drive from where the kids were found.
According to the preliminary investigation, officers discovered several rounds were fired, and two drivers were seen speeding away, according to a press release by the Bladensburg police. One of the cars hit two other cars.
"Some guys from one car were shooting at another guy," said David, a neighbor whose apartment was struck by the gunfire. He says a bullet went through a window and hit a wall where he used to sit.
An occupant was inside one of the striking cars and complained to officers of non-life-threatening injuries. Officers with the Bladensburg Police Department rendered first aid until paramedics arrived. The victim was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.
Witnesses describe a shootout between two cars that drove through the complex and ended up driving down Taussig Road, where there was a crash.
According to police, the fleeing vehicle in the crash became inoperable, resulting in the driver and passenger getting out of the car. Then they jumped into another vehicle that stopped to get them.
The inoperable car has been reported stolen through Metro Washington Airport Authority in Arlington, Virginia.
The second car was later abandoned and found in Washington, D.C. with blood inside. Police noted the car was also reported stolen through the Metropolitan Police Department.
The Bladensburg Police Investigators are working with DC police to investigate the circumstances that led to this incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Bladensburg Police Department at 301-864-6080.