A violent robbery inside a store on the 900 block of Brentwood Road Northeast has Washington police searching for a suspect who assaulted a victim and fled with stolen property on a Sunday morning last month. The Metropolitan Police Department says the attack unfolded around 9:35 a.m. on September 13, when the suspect approached the victim inside the store, assaulted them, and ran off with the victim's belongings.
According to WJLA, nearby security cameras captured images of the suspect, and police are now asking anyone with information to call them at (202) 727-9099. The case has been logged under Central Crime Number 26130482, with the Metropolitan Police Department classifying the incident specifically as robbery by force and violence, according to a release from the Metropolitan Police Department.
MPD is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the suspect, and the department is accepting confidential tips through its text line at 50411 in addition to the phone number. Police have explicitly advised members of the public not to take direct action if they identify the suspect themselves, leaving identification and apprehension to investigators.
A Felony Charge With Steep Penalties
Under D.C. Code § 22-2801, robbery is classified as a felony involving the taking of property from another person by force, violence, stealth, or intimidation, carrying a mandatory statutory penalty ranging from two to 15 years in prison along with fines of up to $37,500, according to FindLaw. The law effectively treats robbery as a compound offense, folding assault and theft into a single charge, which reflects the dual harm described in this case — a victim both assaulted and robbed inside the same encounter.
A Block With a Troubled History
The 900 block of Brentwood Road NE has seen serious violence before. In November 2018, a store employee named Nazir Ahmad was killed during a robbery at a food mart on the same block; the gunman entered shortly after 6 a.m., stole a cash register, and shot Ahmad through a door, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. That gunman later pleaded guilty and was sentenced in December 2021 to 18 years in prison.
More recently, in March 2024, MPD's Fifth District detectives arrested a suspect connected to a string of Northeast robberies, including an early-morning holdup at a gas station in the same 900 block, and charged the suspect with one robbery. Crime-tracking data covering March through September 2026 showed the broader 1000–1249 block of Brentwood Road NE logging 57 police incidents in a single 30-day stretch ending September 18, 2026, according to the Washington Crime Map, underscoring how frequently this corridor draws police response.
Citywide Crime Trends Diverge From Local Hotspots
The persistence of violence on this stretch of Brentwood Road stands somewhat at odds with the District's broader trajectory. Overall violent crime in Washington dropped 29 percent in 2025 compared to 2024, according to MPD; the Council on Criminal Justice reported a 29.4 percent decline in robbery. A federal law enforcement surge launched in August 2025 also drove a 67 percent year-over-year jump in cases charged in D.C. Superior Court, totaling 16,724 cases over a 12-month span, while District-wide violent crime fell nearly 39 percent, the Justice Department reported in August.
Much of that enforcement push has had a direct presence in this neighborhood. In late 2025, MPD's Fifth District Crime Suppression Team partnered with federal agencies, including the FBI, ATF, and HSI, under the Make DC Safe and Beautiful Taskforce to run targeted patrols in the Brentwood area. Whether that task force presence has changed day-to-day conditions for business owners along Brentwood Road remains an open question for future reporting.
For now, investigators are relying on surveillance footage and public tips to track down the person responsible for the Brentwood Road attack.
