Columbia Heights

I’ve received a number of emails about this incident. What will follow is a piecing together of various emails. For those expecting a Washington Post type report, please skip this post. Thanks.

I hear around 11pm at the corner of 11th and Park a Latino worker from a nearby establishment was waiting for the bus and was accosted by two men demanding money. I’m told he had either very little money or tried to fight off the assailants. I’m told the assailants shot the victim in the leg and that he is in the hospital and awaiting surgery or recovering. However another resident said they heard the shots (readers report hearing 2) closer to 1:45am and 5 police cars and an ambulance responded pretty quickly. Another reader reports that there is speculation that the man was specifically targeted because he was Latino. I’m told that many Latinos are targeted for robbery in Columbia Heights because the perpetrators may believe that they are carrying cash and due to immigration issues the victims may be less likely to contact the police.

If this is indeed the case, how do you think it can/should be remedied. Should there be some sort of amnesty for victims reporting crimes? Do you think there should be more police patrols along 11th and 14th Streets, NW around the time bars and restaurants close?

“Dear PoP,

Yesterday (Wed) at 6:30pm I was watching a soccer game at Tubman Elementary on Kenyon two houses West of Wonderland directly across the street from a young kid about 14yo who crouched to the ground when he and another youth a few houses up recognized each other and got into a staring match. The kid closest to me slowly pulled a gun from inside his underpants and the other kid darted toward my side of the street and toward 13th street and moments before I thought he’d be shot a cop in jeans and a red polo shirt apprehended the kid with the gun. No shots fired, no screaming -I don’t even think the soccer players knew anything was going on 1/2 block away. I never noticed the 2 plain clothes policemen and huge kudos for the quick professional arrest. The gun wielding youth was of slight build, medium height, dressed well and someone you would not view as threatening. Someone you would expect a mom to have her arm around. Likely in another 5-10 seconds shots would have been fired. Crazy to be so young and willing and prepared to kill another with his whole life ahead of him when he seemed so calm. Even when sitting handcuffed with the cops on the corner of 13th and Kenyon the assailant did not seem angry, scared or threatening.”

Well, this is just insane. Thankfully nobody was hurt and MPD made an arrest.