Chaos erupted in a Southeast CVS on the night of April 16 when a group of teens went on a shoplifting spree, leading to a series of arrests, as the Metropolitan Police Department intensifies its manhunt for additional perpetrators, authorities said. According to the Metropolitan Police Department's news release, the young suspects entered the store around 8:45 p.m. in the 1100 block of New Jersey Avenue and stole various items; when confronted by a security officer, one of the suspects hurled a bottle, which narrowly missed its target.

In the days that followed the authorities were swift to act, six juveniles, captured on surveillance footage, were arrested and are facing multiple charges—the teens' identities remain undisclosed due to their age, but they came from the same neighborhood, signaling a deeper narrative at play. On April 27, the MPD announced the arrests, which included two 15-year-old females charged with an array of serious offenses, such as Aggravated Assault, Simple Assault, Burglary, and Conspiracy to Commit Theft—additionally being implicated in an assault that occurred earlier on the National Mall.

Details provided by the MPD outline that alongside the females, a 15-year-old male and two 14-year-old males were taken into custody, and booked on Burglary, Theft, and Conspiracy to Commit Theft, a narrative that showcases the distressing trend of adolescent involvement in criminal acts in the Navy Yard area. A 16-year-old male had already been arrested on April 20, the adolescent was accused of Burglary Two, Theft, and Assault on a Police Officer, escalating the gravity of this broadening case.

The department urges anyone with information to come forward, this is a collective pursuit, as public safety teeters on the edge of community cooperation and civic duty.