Another delivery driver carjacked in DC as police distribute dashcams, trackers in effort to curb thefts
WASHINGTON - Another food delivery driver became the victim of a violent carjacking in D.C. Tuesday morning.
The incident happened around 9:45 p.m. in the 1600 block of Fort Dupont Street, SE, according to a Metropolitan Police report.
The victim told police that immediately after making a Door Dash delivery, a black car pulled up to him with two people inside. One person got out of the car on the passenger side, pulled a gun on the man and demanded his keys.
The victim complied and the suspect then drove off in the man’s 2022 Toyota Corolla, which has Florida tags. Police are searching for the suspects and the victim was uninjured but another Door Dash driver wasn’t so lucky when the same thing happened to him last week.
On Friday, Nov. 3, the delivery was dropping off an order near the intersection of 14th and A Street, Northeast when a suspect approached, threatening the victim and demanding the keys to their car.
According to the police report, the victim handed the keys over and told the suspect he was going to call police. That’s when the suspect turned and fired a single shot at the victim, hitting him in the leg.
The victim was taken to an area hospital and police told FOX 5 that the stolen car was recovered Sunday morning but so far, no arrests in the case. They released surveillance video of a person of interest on Monday.
These are just some of the latest victims of carjackings targeting "gig economy" workers in the District.
A rideshare driver was carjacked Tuesday night. It happened around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday near 7th Street and Chesapeake Street in southeast Washington.
Police say the woman had just finished driving the man to his destination and asked him to help her look at an issue with her tire. They both got out of the car and police say in moments, the man pushed the woman to the ground and stole her car.
He was last seen driving northbound on 6th Street. The vehicle is described as a Black 2020 Toyota Rav4 with Virginia tags.
On Nov. 1, an Uber driver reported being carjacked by three juveniles in Southeast. The three juveniles fled in the car going southbound down Branch Avenue, SE and the investigation is ongoing.
According to the latest MPD data, there have been 840 reported carjacking offenses across the city. A firearm was used in 74% of those incidents, and 137 arrests have been made.
In an effort to prevent some of these violent incidents involving people just trying to do their jobs, DoorDash partnered with D.C. Police, the Mayor’s Nightlife Office and D.C.’s Department of For-Hire Vehicles to distribute 2,500 dash cams to their drivers.
Recipients with a valid D.C. driver's license and proof they work for a rideshare or delivery company lined up at RFK lot Tuesday to get their free cameras, saying this was a no-brainer.
"This camera that I got, it makes me feel a little safer so that if they see that there’s a camera in here, I think it’s sort of like a deterrent that they’re not going to do anything, because they know they’re being recorded," Sumayya Lane told FOX 5.
D.C. is the first market to receive the $500,000 grant from DoorDash for the cameras. DoorDash representative Darrell Davis says they’ll consider more.
"We’ve heard from residents and dashers in the District that safety is something they care about. As a company we saw what was happening and really understood the need for us as a company to step up and partner with the mayor," Davis said.
There’s another distribution Tuesday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at RFK Stadium Lot 3.
D.C. police are also giving away free AirTags and Tiles to drivers in the District in the hopes of helping recover stolen vehicles.
The first distribution event happened on Tuesday. Last week, Acting Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said the goal is not just to prevent carjackings and motor vehicle thefts, but also to respond to the ones that happen swiftly.
"These tracking devices allow our officers and detectives to be better positioned to quickly locate stolen vehicles, recover property, and gather vital evidence for investigations," Smith said.
The next distribution will be from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at 1309 5th Street NE (PSAs 501 & 502) and another will be held at the same time Thursday in the rear parking lot at 3200 Pennsylvania Avenue SE.