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Theft victims fight back by throwing rocks
The same day D.C. Police announced a task force aimed at driving down a surge in carjackings and stolen cars, victims fended off a possible auto theft in the middle of a quiet Northwest D.C. street with nothing but rocks.
WASHINGTON - Car thefts and carjackings are on the rise in the District and across the nation.
D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee III announced a task force on Tuesday to curb the trend – which includes a 51 percent rise in car thefts.
READ MORE: DC task force targets carjackings as numbers continue to rise across the District
However one couple in Northwest – and their construction crew – were determined to avoid becoming a statistic on Tuesday.
And they did it with nothing but rocks at their disposal.
In an exclusive interview with FOX 5’s Evan Lambert, Alanna McKee said that a trio of thieves sped away in a getaway car, but not before they were scared away.
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Task force trying to crack down on carjackings
Local jurisdictions - including DC - are setting up task forces to combat the surge in carjackings during recent months.
"Three guys – and they'd hopped out and were breaking into one of our other construction workers' cars. So he ran to our house and called down to everyone to come help," she said.
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That’s when, McKee says, her husband and the construction crew ran to stop the thieves.
They escaped with valuable tools, but stopped from potentially swiping a work truck.
According to the homeowners, the events unfolded at Connecticut and Kanawha streets, Northwest just after 2:30 p.m.
"I'm blown away this happened in the middle of the day on a work day. I mean it's really sad," McKenna said.
On Tuesday, Contee vowed to make stopping the surge in carjackings and thefts a priority.
"This task force consists of teams of detectives specializing in robberies and violent crimes that will focus on all carjacking cases in the District and hold those responsible for committing these crimes accountable," he said.
Police say the most effective way to stop thefts involving vehicles is to simply lock your car.