Three Robberies/Assaults Near Nationals Park After Games This Week

Photo by PoPville flickr user future pop attorney

From the MPD-1D listserv:

This incident occurred after the baseball game on Wednesday night- I have a young man staying at my place until the summer and he was terrorized by a couple of “young thugs” while walking home from the baseball game. Please see below:

“I was assaulted last night walking home from the baseball game. A group of guys tried to rob me. I took a pretty hard hit to the head. The same guys chased me to the apartment complex after I left the police station. I literally closed the gate on them. I don’t know what would have happened if I didn’t make it into the complex. I’m fine, have a pretty bad headache and a sore jaw, that’s about it. I didn’t go to work today and am getting checked out at the doctor right now just to be safe. Just wanted to let you know what happened, I’m okay- don’t worry.”

It’s very dangerous to walk home at night in this area. These young boys were hanging out at the park after they had assaulted this young man.

MPD Commander Daniel Hickson responded:

Unfortunately the SW and Nationals Park area experienced three robberies or assaults (with intent to rob) between Monday and Tuesday. The first event was a Robbery which occurred on Monday at about 10 pm in the 1100 block of New Jersey Ave SE, the second offense was the one referenced in the below email which occurred on Tuesday at about 10:25 pm in the Unit block of M St SW and the third was a robbery that occurred on Tuesday at about 11:45 pm in the 1400 block of 4th St SW. In each of these offenses, the assailants were described as a group of juvenile suspects, including 5 or more individuals.

A short time after the last robbery occurred, First District patrol officers assigned to Curfew Patrol observed several juveniles who were in violation of curfew laws. When they stopped these subjects they observed that several of them matched the description of the assailants from the Fourth St incident. The detectives were notified and subsequently two of the individuals were identified as participants in the last robbery and they were arrested.

We are investigating the strong similarities in all three offenses: time, location, method and description of assailants. The First District Detectives are conducting follow-up investigations focused on the two juveniles arrested, as well as others who were in their company. When an update is available, I will advise.