Attempted stick-ups turning into fatal shootings. Robbers ambushing people on sidewalks. Small-time crooks making their first forays into felony crimes with violent theft.
No corner of the District of Columbia has been spared from a surge of robberies on busy commercial corridors and neighborhood blocks in recent weeks.
The number of holdups reported by the Metropolitan Police Department has exploded by nearly 60% this year as thieves brazenly confront citizens outside bars, public libraries and apartments.
The wave of robberies contributes to the sense of randomness that has accompanied the District’s stunning surge in violent crime in the first six months of 2023.
Even those troubled by the political rhetoric that comes with discussions about public safety in the District don’t deny the severity.
“I hate this narrative of ‘Oh, D.C. is so crime-ridden,’” cyclist Sabrina Valenti told The Washington Times. “But at the same time, you do have these absolute nonsense, out-of-nowhere, irresponsible people. It almost makes me wonder if they realize that they have the potential to take someone’s life away.”
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Ms. Valenti took part in a memorial bike ride on July 16 to honor Dzhoy Zuckerman, the 27-year-old bike messenger who was fatally shot in an attempted robbery early July 15 on Third Street Northwest.
Zuckerman, who regularly logged 70 miles on their beloved purple bike while making deliveries, left behind a 5-year-old child.
Two days before Zuckerman’s slaying, construction worker Rafael Adolfo Gomez was fatally shot while arriving at his job site at Howard University.
Third District Commander James Boteler described the July 13 shooting as an attempted robbery that “went bad.”
“I’m feeling sad, and I feel like a part of me is lost since my brother has died,” Mr. Adolfo Gomez’s brother, who was not identified, told local Fox affiliate WTTG. “I will miss his characteristics and him being himself.”
The killers in both shootings remain at large, but police arrested repeat offender Jaime Macedo, 22, accused of gunning down Kentucky teacher Maxwell Emerson on Catholic University’s campus earlier this month.
As with the killers of Zuckerman and Adolfo Gomez, Macedo was attempting a robbery when Emerson was mortally wounded, court documents show.
“This young man from my home state was one of 10 people who were shot and killed in Washington during the first five days of this month, including a college student and an Afghan immigrant who had risked his life as an interpreter for the U.S. military,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, said on the Senate floor on July 13.
Robberies that don’t involve loss of life are equally as jarring, given how suddenly the criminals pounce.
Police said four people were robbed within six minutes early July 15 in the Adams Morgan and Kalorama neighborhoods.
Each time, police said, the robbers quickly pulled up in a vehicle, flashed a handgun and took the victim’s property before speeding off.
Authorities were looking for a black Hyundai Sonata with Connecticut tags and the license plate number BE04065.
The rapid sequence of robberies was similar to one a day earlier in Northwest.
Three 18-year-olds — Rasheme Holmes of Southeast, Trinity Nash of Southeast and Javon Avents of Northeast — were arrested on July 14. Police said they robbed six people in less than 24 hours across the District.
The three were accused of abruptly stopping their car — sometimes with hasty U-turns — to confront people and make off with their belongings.
One of the victims was a White House staffer who said she was threatened with a stabbing near the Mount Pleasant Library if she didn’t hand over her purse, court documents show. Another told police that a robber confronting him on Fuller Street Northwest threatened to “kill this n——-” because his iPhone password was too long.
Robbery is a way for small-time thieves to dabble in more serious crimes.
D.C. Metropolitan Police arrested Isaiah Matthews, 19, last week on suspicion of stealing car keys at gunpoint on D Street Southeast.
Matthews has a criminal record that includes misdemeanor assault and threats. He wasn’t kept behind bars for long on any of the offenses.
Court records show his 120-day sentence for threats handed down in January was suspended as long as he could fulfill one year of probation. Matthews became delinquent soon afterward but wasn’t ordered to serve the remaining 90 days of his sentence until his arrest in April.
Matthews was released from jail earlier this month before his arrest Tuesday on robbery charges.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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