Washington D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department has nabbed two individuals following a series of bold heists in the nation's capital. The duo, identified as Kharris O. Akinola, 22, and Christopher Light, 21, were cuffed and booked on charges of armed robbery after pulling a fast one along the bustling Wharf area, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
On the evening of February 4th, a pedestrian on Maine Avenue found himself staring down the barrel of a gun as two assailants commandeered his personal belongings. The perpetrators, wielding a rifle and a handgun, then made their escape in a stark white SUV. Brandishing their firearms, the two suspects fled before they could be apprehended, police said.
The break in the case came after weeks of sleuthing by the department’s Criminal Investigations Division. Detectives on the hunt since the February mugging managed to trace it back to Akinola and Light, leading to their arrest on March 25. A rifle was also seized in the aftermath of the arrest.
But the cuffs clamped around Light's wrists weren't just for the Wharf incident. The suspect found himself slapped with additional charges including Possession of an Unregistered Firearm and Attempted Armed Robbery tied to another crime that was attempted on February 5th. Light, with a handgun, didn't manage to snag anything as the victim, at an ATM located on Martin Luther King Jr Avenue, bolted before anything could be stolen, police explained.
The investigation remains active, as authorities work to piece together the full scope of the crimes. It's unclear if there are more charges to come or if there are additional suspects at large. The incidents, stark reminders of the city's ongoing struggle with violent crime, leave a community on edge as they await the outcome of a justice system now in motion.
