A man walking with two friends near 7th Street NW Monday morning was surrounded by as many as 30 juveniles who took the Balenciaga sneakers off his feet and pulled his phone from his hand, according to police. The Metropolitan Police Department is now searching for the group behind the brazen daylight robbery.
The incident was reported around 8:40 a.m. Monday in the 800 block of 7th Street NW, near 825 7th Street NW, according to WJLA. The victim and his two friends were walking north while looking for restaurants when approximately 25 to 30 juveniles followed and surrounded them, the station reports.
“You Gotta Give Me Those Shoes Right Now”
One juvenile allegedly told the victim, “I ain't gonna lie, you gotta give me those shoes right now,” and the man removed his shoes out of fear, per the police account relayed by the station. A second juvenile then patted down the victim's pants pockets and asked what he had in them; when the man said he only had his phone, that juvenile took it directly from his hand, the report states.
As the group continued to harass the victim and his friends, the three ran north toward the 900 block of 7th Street NW to get away, the station's report notes. The juveniles then fled south, with some entering the Chinatown Metro station and others boarding a Metrobus, according to witness accounts cited in the same report.
More Than $2,000 in Stolen Property
The reported haul included black Balenciaga Track sneakers valued at $1,150 and an orange iPhone 17 Pro Max valued at $1,000, the same account states. Also taken, per the report, were an Under Armour quarter-zip valued at $50, a Maryland identification card and a medical card.
The robbery comes two years after MPD put out a community safety alert warning that thieves were increasingly targeting high-end designer sneakers worn by young people in the city. That 2024 warning specifically named Amiri, Balenciaga, Dior, Lanvin and Louis Vuitton as targeted brands, with values ranging from $600 to $1,200, according to WJLA.
Juvenile Crime Data in the District
The sneaker heist lands amid a complicated stretch of data on juvenile crime in the District. D.C. recorded more than 1,000 juvenile arrests between January and June of this year, with nearly 40% involving violent crimes, according to WUSA9, which reported that simple assault and robbery were the two most common charges.
Similar Robberies Reported Across the City
A 2023 case involved juveniles targeting sneakers or electronics in D.C. Two young people were robbed inside the Woodridge Neighborhood Library in Northeast Washington on Oct. 2, 2023, with one victim's purple-and-black Jordan 12 shoes stolen, according to WTOP. Police said two suspects in that case demanded another juvenile's iPhone 13 and punched him in the face when he followed them outside, and investigators later released surveillance video showing four persons of interest, two males and two females.
Earlier this month, Metropolitan Police also arrested a 14-year-old girl accused of joining a group of youths who surrounded and attacked a woman in Northwest Washington, according to the Washington Times. Investigators told the paper that juveniles robbed the woman around 9 p.m. near Eighth and Q streets NW, then assaulted a second woman who tried to help before the group fled.
No arrests have been announced in connection with Monday's robbery near 7th Street NW. Anyone with information is asked to call MPD at (202) 727-9099 or text 50411.
