Rash Of Violent Crime Plagues Dupont Circle

VIA MYFOXDC:

A surge in violent crime is putting a popular D.C. neighborhood on edge. In the last two weeks alone, two people were robbed at gunpoint, and before that a cab driver was shot. The crimes are all happening before 10 p.m., police say.

It’s is a section of Dupont Circle that is heavily populated and there is plenty of foot traffic. People who live there say it’s usually a pretty quiet neighborhood.

“We live in this building, and all the time we feel secure,” said Marisa Munoz.

But that peace of mind has been shaken in recent weeks due to a spike in violence in the area. On Friday night around 8 p.m. at 17th Street NW and Willard Street, police say a man was robbed at gunpoint by a group in a Lexus with temporary tags.

“I heard the screaming and yelling, so I looked out and saw several young people– not panicked but excited,” says Janet McMahon, who lives on 17th Street NW.

Then, at 9:45 p.m. in the 1600 block of R Street NW, police say a man walking was approached by four suspects.

He was punched in the face before the suspects took his wallet and ran away.

“I read the crime reports in the paper—it’s usually at 1 in the morning, so it makes me think twice when they happen that early,” Janet says.

A few weekends before those two pedestrian attacks on January 9, a cab driver was shot in the jaw at 17th and T Streets NW. Someone spotted the cab double parked just before midnight and called police.

“I was looking out my window, and I noticed lots of lights– there were maybe 10 different police cars and caution tape all around,” says Alicia Posner who lives on T Street NW.

Police don’t know if that cab driver shooting is connected to anything else, or if it’s isolated. And, they say have not determined if the Dupont Circle robberies are connected.

“I hope they are isolated incidents. I would like to feel the freedom of walking,” Munoz says.

Police say they have increased patrols in the area– both uniformed and non-uniformed. The second district commander had directed that the Dupont Tact Unit remain in close proximity to the 17th Street corridor for high visibility. They are also informing people to remain vigilant aware of their surroundings, and to call police if they see anything suspicious.

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