Knife-Wielding Robber Strikes Near Foggy Bottom Metro, DC Police Hunt Suspect

A knife-wielding robber struck early Wednesday morning near the intersection of I Street NW and 23rd Street NW, right at the doorstep of one of Washington's busiest transit hubs, and fled on foot toward a bridge as police scrambled to track him down. The Metropolitan Police Department has not said which bridge the suspect was headed for, leaving open whether he was making for the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge toward Virginia or one of the nearby overpasses along Rock Creek Parkway.

The Metropolitan Police Department issued a crime alert at approximately 6:54 a.m. Wednesday describing the robbery, according to Shore News Network. That intersection sits at the main entrance to the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metrorail station, a stop connecting the Blue, Orange and Silver lines that funnels George Washington University students, hospital workers and commuters through the area at all hours, per Washington Concert Opera. AlertDC, the city's emergency notification system, logged the incident as MPD CAD Alert #9387 under Event #I20260398532, tying it to the 2nd District's Police Service Area 201–209.

What Police Know — and What They Haven't Said

The person sought is described only as a Black male with dreadlocks and a slim build, wearing a brown jacket and armed with a knife, per the MPD alert cited in the initial report. The initial notice did not include any additional physical description, and police have not said what was taken during the robbery or whether anyone was hurt. Those gaps remain open questions as the investigation continues.

Police have asked anyone with information to call 911, and warned the public not to approach or attempt to confront the person sought if spotted. Tipsters can also text 50411 or call MPD's Command Information Center at 202-727-9099. The department maintains a standing reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in violent crimes, according to the Metropolitan Police Department, a program regularly applied to armed robbery cases like this one.

A Campus and Transit Corridor Already Under Watch

The Foggy Bottom intersection sits at the edge of George Washington University's campus, an area where GWU's own police department coordinates joint patrols and safety advisories with MPD's 2nd District, as Hoodline previously reported on a separate GWU case involving campus-area police coordination. That partnership matters in a corridor with heavy foot traffic tied to the Metro station, the university and nearby medical facilities, where students and commuters converge well before sunrise.

Under D.C. Code § 22-2801 and § 22-4502, armed robbery involving a dangerous weapon such as a knife is a felony carrying a sentence of up to 30 years in prison if a suspect is caught and convicted. The statute's enhanced penalties reflect how seriously the District treats weapon-involved robberies, even as citywide numbers tell a more complicated story this year.

Robberies Down Citywide, But Weapon Assaults Climbing

MPD crime statistics through Wednesday show robberies citywide have dropped 12% compared to the same period last year, falling from 937 incidents to 824. That continues a sharper decline from 2025, when robberies across the District fell 37% compared to 2024, dropping from 2,116 cases to 1,323 for the full year.

But the same data shows assaults with a dangerous weapon have jumped 39% citywide this year, rising from 583 to 810 incidents compared to the same period in 2025. The Foggy Bottom robbery adds to a string of recent knife- and weapon-involved incidents across Northwest D.C., including a chokehold robbery in Chinatown where police are still seeking three suspects, as Hoodline reported in a piece on a chokehold robbery caught on camera. A separate case earlier this month saw a man robbed and shot after accepting a ride near 12th Street NW, a robbery for which MPD also offered a $10,000 reward.

No arrest had been announced as of Wednesday, and MPD has not released further details on the suspect's direction of travel, the property taken, or any injuries. Anyone with information is urged to contact police through the channels listed above.