An AU student was the victim of a carjacking on Jan. 22 while leaving a friend’s house near the National Cathedral, according to a Jan. 23 release from the Metropolitan Police Department.
Mark Story, the University's director of strategic communications, confirmed the victim was an AU student in an email. AU police were not alerted to the crime as it was reported to MPD, he said.
The victim was sitting in his vehicle in the 3100 block of 36th Street NW at about 10:50 p.m. when three suspects approached him, said Kelvin Cusick, the captain of MPD’s Second District, in a statement. At least one of the suspects had a handgun, the victim told police.
The victim told NBC Washington that the men then forcibly removed him from his vehicle and threw him to the ground.
“Three guys walked up, knocked on my window, one had a gun, just started yelling at me to get out,” the student said. “They opened the door, dragged me out of the car, threw me on the ground, and they were kind of yelling, ‘Where’s your money? Where’s your phone? Where’s your wallet?’”
One of the suspects stole his wallet and attempted to steal his phone as a suspect put a gun to the student’s head. One suspect got into the car, leading the victim to kick the car door to get him out.
“I was yelling at him to get out,” the student told NBC Washington. “I heard a gunshot somewhere and just rolled over on my stomach, hit the deck and watched him pull away.”
Two of the men ran on foot down Lowell Street while the other suspect fled in the vehicle. Police arrived at the scene after neighbors called 911, NBC Washington reported. The victim was “obviously a little shook up” but did not report any physical injury, Cusick said.
The student’s vehicle was later spotted in Southeast D.C., where officers attempted to stop the vehicle, Cusick said. The driver crashed into another vehicle, and the occupants then fled on foot and escaped, he said.
The victim was able to recover some of his stolen items, including his wallet, cash and credit cards. But after the crash, his car may be a total loss, NBC Washington reported. The case is still being investigated.
“It’s unfortunate you have to be more vigilant of surroundings,” the victim said. “I didn’t think it could happen here, but you got to be aware at all times.”
