WASHINGTON — It has been more than four months since he was carjacked by a group of teenagers, but an Alexandria man is still crippled with fear and paranoia.
The victim, an Uber driver who wanted to remain unidentified, is sharing his story after he said the case for one of the suspects is closed.
With the help of a Turkish translator, the man told WUSA9 that one of the culprits, a 16-year-old suspect, received a supervised release for eight months and community service. The victim questioned if the punishment was appropriate or even fair.
"I can't be in a position to criticize the legal system but if they did what they did to me to an old woman, she would either die or become disabled," he said. "If it was a young girl it could be even worse."
Judges in juvenile cases usually provide the option of probation or enter the Department of Youth Rehabilitative Services. Whatever is handed down cannot extend beyond the youth's 21st birthday.
The incident happened around 1:30 a.m. near the intersection of 7th Street & A Street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood on Jan. 16, according to a police incident report.
The victim said he received a request for a ride near the area but when he tried to find the passenger, he said someone in a white Honda Accord rear-ended him. He stepped out to check the damage to his bumper, but two young men from the other vehicle began attacking him. One of them was also wearing brass knuckles.
"He kept hitting me on the head and body and I was scared that my head was really damaged while the other one was kicking me," he recalled. "I kept shouting for help."
Meanwhile, the driver said a third suspect was standing by the Honda Accord as he tried to stop his two attackers from driving away in his car. His attempt was unsuccessful as he was dragged down the road.
Police officers responded in less than five minutes as neighbors who heard his yells came out of their homes and tried to console him.
The victim's car was eventually found in Prince George's County, where authorities told him it was used as a getaway car during a police chase.
While he still rides for Uber, the victim said he no longer picks up rides when the sun goes down and admits he does not even go on walks at night any longer.
"I can't trust people and I don't trust people," he said.
The number of carjackings across the DMV has seen a massive surge and continues to concern both residents and government officials. The District has seen at least 120 carjackings this year, more than double over the same time period in 2020, according to acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Channing Phillips.
Phillips and other federal and local prosecutors announced the the new Regional Carjacking Prosecution Task Force on Wednesday to address the spikes in carjackings since last year.
The goal is to work with different agencies and slow down the multi-jurisdiction crimes that have become so prevalent.
"We make sure that people who commit crimes and carjackings in multiple counties will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner said in a press conference.
Just one day after federal prosecutors announced the region-wide carjacking task force, Prince George's County officials say they are also launching a task force to help quell the growing problem.
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