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13-year-old charged with carjacking in DC

By and
Published  June 19, 2024 12:12pm EDT
Washington, D.C.
FOX 5 DC

13-year-old charged in DC carjacking; victim speaks out

FOX 5's Shomari Stone spoke with a man who says his car was stolen by juveniles outside of a Home Depot in Northeast D.C.

WASHINGTON - A 13-year-old boy has been arrested, police say, after he carjacked a man at a shopping center in Northeast D.C.

According to police, two suspects approached the victim while he was in his car on the 900 block of Rhode Island Avenue just after 6 p.m. Tuesday. 

They demanded him to get out of his car and give them his keys, the victim reportedly told police.

The police report obtained by FOX 5 states the 13-year-old grabbed his waistline and implied he had a gun.

"Get out of the car, or I will shoot you," the suspect reportedly told the victim.

The police report did not indicate the suspect actually had a gun. 

Shortly after, police say they found the stolen car in the 1700 block of First Street NW.

The 13-year-old was placed under arrest, while the second suspect ran away.

Donnell Gill of D.C. frequently visits the shopping center where the carjacking happened.

"Young youth stealing cars and getting away with it. That needs to change. Parents need to be held accountable if they’re in the home," Gill said. "You have a lot of children that are here that are homeless, females, males. They do what they got to do to get from one side to the other, and they see you - and they want to go to Southeast … wherever they possibly will jack your car and leave."

Teen arrested in connection with carjacking outside DC Home Depot

A 13-year-old boy has been arrested police say he carjacked a man at a shopping center in northeast D.C. FOX 5's Lili Zheng has the latest details.

Gill, a father himself, said he has always made an effort to meet his children’s friends to ensure they’re not around the wrong crowd.

"If they want to go out somewhere, I get to know them. They don’t know that’s what I’m doing. You got to watch your kids too," he said.

Jacqueline Clarke of D.C. said the area as a whole is a nice area to live in with many amenities close by, but she recognized youth-related crime as a concern.

"You know lately, the kids…it’s like…you’re scared to drive. You got a car, they carjack you. They drop you, maybe they end up killing you for no reason. You leave your family, it’s crazy. These kids, they need something to occupy themselves, so there wouldn’t be so much crime," Clarke said.

Clarke said her children are no longer teenagers, but recalled how she set boundaries when they were growing up.

"My culture is different than American culture. My culture back home, if you do something back home, you get whopped. Real bad. Sometimes your parents only have to look at you, and you know that you don’t have to do this," she said. "I brought my kids up the same way. I wasn’t whooping them, but my culture back home…they say, ‘Mommy you’re too strict,’ but I have to."

Police said the 13-year-old has been charged with unarmed carjacking.