A high-speed chase and a shooting in Northeast DC have culminated in the arrest of three teenagers following a series of rapid police responses on Sunday night. The Metropolitan Police Department has reported that the individuals are suspected youth absconders, having escaped from a facility in Pennsylvania earlier that day. According to a statement from MPD, they allegedly commandeered a red 2016 Land Rover SUV. They returned to DC, setting off a sequence of events that would draw significant law enforcement resources.
Officers were alerted to a shooting at around 10:49 PM on the 700 block of 8th Street, NE, where they found an adult male with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The victim, transported to the hospital by DC Fire and EMS, claimed to have quickly fallen prey to an armed robbery. Eyewitness accounts identified the culprits as traveling in a red SUV, fitting the description of the stolen vehicle from Pennsylvania.
The MPD linked the suspected vehicle to the crime scene using data from the Real Time Crime Center and Flock License Plate Reader cameras. An officer later spotted the same SUV on H Street, NE, prompting aerial backup from MPD's helicopter unit, Falcon 1. Subsequently, five suspects fled on foot, two retreated to the SUV, and despite these maneuvers, one was caught by the authorities, with an assault-style rifle recovered nearby, as detailed by the MPD.
The chase persisted into the night, with the red SUV resurfacing in the Seventh District. Engaging in a pursuit deemed necessary due to prior violence, the officers, assisted by Falcon 1, brought the SUV to a halt at Minnesota Avenue and T Street, SE. The remaining individuals attempted to exit the vehicle hastily, but two more were apprehended. In total, three teenagers are facing charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, robbery, and related firearm offenses, and one has been identified as an absconder from the juvenile system.
MPD Chief Pamela A. Smith lauded the coordinated efforts in a statement saying, per the Metropolitan Police Department, "Thanks to the quick coordination between our Real Time Crime Center, responding patrol officers, and Falcon 1, we were able to locate the suspects, recover a dangerous firearm, and make multiple arrests." The Department is still on the lookout for two more absconders involved in the series of events, with Chief Smith affirming MPD's commitment "to hold violent offenders accountable for their actions in our city."
