12-year-old DC boys facing robbery, carjacking charges as violent crime continues to rise
WASHINGTON - Authorities arrested two 12-year-old boys for two separate crime sprees in the District as violent crime rates continue to climb.
Police say one of the boys was arrested Wednesday. Officers say within a 10-minute period Wednesday afternoon, he tried to rob a business, carjack a driver, and rob a pedestrian near Good Hope and Taylor Road. He is facing charges.
Investigators say the second boy was responsible for six armed carjackings, two armed robberies and an assault between March 21 and April 29 – all in southeast D.C. He was arrested Thursday and faces charges.
A victim in the April 20 carjacking was stunned to learn one of the 12-year-olds facing charges is the suspect that was charged in his armed carjacking case. Police are searching for at least one more suspect so FOX 5 is only identifying the victim as "Shelton."
"It’s not fair to people like myself and you, you know. We work hard for what we get and someone comes along at that age and they are free to take it. We can’t do anything about it. We can’t defend it. You know, you can’t defend your property. You can’t do anything. You just have to take it. And that’s not right. That’s not fair. It makes it hard to stay here in the District," said Shelton.
The victim told FOX 5 he had just parked his running car for a minute to grab something and eventually suspects chased him down and allegedly placed a gun to his chest demanding keys.
Shelton told FOX 5 he was told the 12-year-old arrested in his case was a first-time offender.
"It’s crazy," he told FOX 5, explaining how such a young person had a negative impact on his life and safety.
"I think they could do a lot better with revamping their judicial system," was part of Shelton’s response when asked how he thought the city was doing in addressing juvenile crime.
FOX 5 spoke with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on the matter. In a question regarding what was going on with the District’s curfew, Mayor Muriel Bowser answered on Friday, "You do see police, you do see police. And the fact that they made arrests that the system is working."
Some of the crimes committed were done past what would be considered D.C. curfew hours.
FOX 5 checked in with D.C. Police on curfew enforcement. The issue is there’s not a clear picture on the matter because police did not have stats readily available on how many kids have been picked-up on curfew violations and addressed outside of arrest. When it comes to arrest, as of February 2, D.C. Police have not reported any juvenile curfew violation arrest compared to one in all of 2021 and 16 in 2020.
"Yeah, I feel like if you try to enforce the curfew, people are going try and break that curfew. Things like that don’t tend to work out," an 18-year-old high-schooler told FOX 5.
"Maybe it wouldn’t be enforced that much because there’s bigger things to worry about," said another young adult.
"I think it would help, I really do. Because at 12-years-old, what do you need to be outside at 10, 11, 12 o’clock at night?" said Shelton.
On the question of whether parents can be held accountable, MPD’s website makes clear a guardian or parent found allowing a child to violate curfew law can face up to a $500 fine. However, the U.S. Attorney’s Office tells FOX 5 there’s no statute in D.C. that allows a parent to be charged in connection with their child’s crime.