A suspected package thief led Metropolitan Police Department officers on a chase through backyards and over a fence on Capitol Hill Friday evening before climbing onto a rooftop, where he stayed put for roughly 45 minutes until firefighters coaxed him down a ladder.
According to HillRag, the pursuit began after a neighbor reported seeing two suspects stealing packages from another house. Officers pursued two people matching that description to the 200 block of Warren Street NE, the outlet reported. One of the suspects then tried to get into a home, prompting the resident to call police, before jumping a fence into a neighboring yard.
A Rooftop Perch Above an Empty House
The suspect eventually reached the roof of 257 Warren St. NE, a home that was empty at the time, per the same report. Neighbors told the outlet they believe he may have climbed up via a neighboring structure under construction, though that detail was offered as neighbors' speculation rather than a confirmed account.
One resident, identified only as Jenn H., told HillRag she was hosting a backyard party for her son's elementary school class when she noticed two slim figures running along an alley behind her property — an alley she said joggers rarely, if ever, use. As sirens closed in, partygoers at the gathering spotted a figure on a roof across Warren Street. Another neighbor flagged down police on 14th Street NE as the search unfolded, the report states.
Ladder Truck Ends the Standoff
Police detained the 31-year-old man, described as having no fixed address, with assistance from DC Fire and EMS. Officers climbed a ladder truck and coaxed him down after about 45 minutes on the roof, the station's report notes. He was ultimately arrested not for the package theft but on an outstanding warrant with extradition; MPD noted there were no package-related charges filed against him. The other suspect remains at large, according to the account.
Under District law, a person arrested on a fugitive warrant — or taken into custody in DC as a fugitive without a warrant — must be brought before the Criminal Division of the Superior Court, per D.C. Law Library.
Help Police Find the Second Suspect
MPD is asking anyone with photos, video, or other information about the incident to come forward, according to HillRag. Tips can be submitted by text to the anonymous tip line at 50411 or by phone to the department's tip line.
The rooftop chase comes as citywide larceny numbers have been trending downward. A Council on Criminal Justice analysis found that D.C.'s reported larceny rate was 18% lower in the first half of 2026 than during the same period in 2025, and 41% below 2019 levels for the same stretch. The report, which examined 13 offenses across D.C. and 35 other American cities through June 2026, found that six of eight measured offense categories in the District declined over that period — though aggravated assault rose 45% and gun assault climbed 13% during the same window. The organization cautions that not all crimes are reported to law enforcement and that the figures may still be revised by local jurisdictions.
Similar package theft cases have drawn MPD attention elsewhere in the city in recent years, including arrests announced by its Fourth District and a Third District case involving a theft reported in Northwest in February 2025, as reported by Metropolitan Police Department. Whether the second Warren Street suspect will be identified remains an open question, with no update provided beyond the ongoing search described in the original report.
