Carjackings in Washington, D.C., are off to a furious start in 2024, keeping pace with the record-shattering previous year that saw several high-profile carjackings in the nation's capital, as the latest rampage last week ended in the death of former Trump administration official Mike Gill.
As of Saturday, there have been 56 carjackings reported citywide since the start of the year compared to the 59 reported during the same period last year, according to data from D.C.’s Metropolitan Police.
Gill, the latest victim of D.C.’s surging crime, served as Trump’s chief of staff at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He was sitting in his vehicle on Monday evening when a suspect entered his car and shot him in the 900 block of K Street NW – less than a mile from the White House. Family announced on Saturday that Gill died of his injuries.
Carjackings in the city nearly doubled in 2023, with a reported 958 carjackings compared to 484 reported in 2022, public police data shows.
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High-profile carjacking victims in 2023 included U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who was held at gunpoint when three armed suspects stole his car less than a mile from the Capitol. Cuellar was not physically injured.
A diplomat from the United Arab Emirates and an FBI agent were also carjacked in the city last year.
In November, Secret Service agents protecting President Biden’s granddaughter opened fire after three people tried to break into an unmarked Secret Service vehicle. No one was struck.
The surging crime nationwide has led to a range of finger-pointing from politicians, with outrage building among community members.
Democratic politicians in Illinois, Minnesota and California last year targeted automobile manufacturers, particularly Kia, Hyundai and Toyota, blaming the automakers for allegedly omitting industry-standard anti-theft technology.
In D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser last year blamed a social media challenge for encouraging the theft of some vehicles, and said the city will offer free steering wheel locks to prevent crimes.
Bowser later slammed a Superior Court judge in October after the judge released a 15-year-old carjacking suspect instead of sending her to a secure facility.
In November, the Democrat mayor seemingly shrugged off a viral video that showed a group of teenage boys allegedly in the nation's capital debating crimes and felony charges, such as murder and armed carjacking.
The majority (64%) of carjacking arrests within the city involve juveniles, with ages 15 and 16 the most common ages for offenders.
The city’s two greatest spikes in carjackings occurred in the summer months of June and July, with police data showing 140 and 121 reported cases, respectively.
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In March, a 15-year-old boy was sentenced to six years in prison for his involvement in the August 2022 shooting of Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. – who was shot twice in the knee and hip during a carjacking – and killing another teen. The sentence is the maximum under the city's juvenile law, FOX5 DC reported at the time.
In October, police said a 13-year-old boy was shot and killed when he and a 12-year-old tried to carjack an off-duty federal security officer. The 12-year-old was arrested.
A 17-year-old boy was arrested in December for the carjacking of the FBI agent.
Homicides in the nation’s capital also saw surging numbers in 2023.
In 2023, D.C. police recorded 274 homicides – the highest numbers the city had seen since 2003. So far this year, the city has recorded nine murders.
