A 12-year-old boy is charged in a string of armed carjackings in Southeast D.C., authorities say.
Not old enough to hold a driver's license, the boy was arrested and charged Thursday in connection to nine crimes over a six-week period in March and April. D.C. police say other people were involved in a number of the crimes. The name of the boy, a Southeast D.C. resident, was not released.
On one night in April, the boy and others are accused of flashing a gun at three sets of victims within 13 minutes and making off with two vehicles.
“He’s 12? Lord have mercy. We’ve gotta just find some things for them to do. Gun violence — no good,” a woman said where one of the crimes occurred.
Here’s what the Metropolitan Police Department says happened:
March 21, about 5 p.m.: The boy allegedly got out of a vehicle driven by someone else, approached someone in the 2300 block of Elvans Road SE and tried to take something from them. He assaulted the victim but did not take anything, police said.
April 16, about 10:30 p.m.: Multiple people approached someone getting into her vehicle in the 1700 block of Gainesville Street SE, brandished a handgun and ordered her to get out, police say. She complied and they took her vehicle.
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April 17, about 6 p.m.: The boy got out of a sedan driven by someone else, approached someone getting out of their SUV in the 700 block of Seventh Street SE, brandished a handgun and demanded the keys, police say. The victim complied and the boy fled in the victim’s SUV as the other suspect fled in the sedan. A pet cat was in the stolen SUV, police said. The animal still has not been found.
April 20, about 11:45 p.m.: Multiple people approached someone who got out of their vehicle in the 2300 block of Pitts Place SE, brandished a handgun and demanded the keys, police say. The victim complied and the suspects tried to flee in the vehicle but were unable to. It was unclear why. They left on foot and then approached two other people in the same block. They showed a handgun, demanded property and fled in a stolen vehicle, police said.
April 21, about 10:15 p.m.: The boy got out of a vehicle driven by someone else and approached people sitting in a vehicle in the 2400 block of Pomeroy Road SE, police said. He brandished a handgun and demanded the vehicle. The victims got out and the boy took the vehicle as the other driver followed in the other vehicle.
April 24, about 8:20 p.m.: Multiple people approached victims in the 2300 block of Pomeroy Road SE, brandished a handgun and demanded a vehicle, police say. They fled without getting anything and then approached two other victims who were seated in a vehicle in the same block. They showed a gun again, demanded the keys and made off with the vehicle.
April 24, about 8:33 p.m.: Multiple people approached someone seated in their vehicle in the 1100 block of Eighth Street SE, showed a gun and demanded the keys. They made off with the vehicle.
April 25, about 2:10 p.m.: Multiple people approached someone in the 2400 block of Elvans Road SE, showed a gun and demanded property. They assaulted the person and left in the victim’s vehicle, police said.
April 29, about 12:03 a.m.: Multiple people approached someone in the 2300 block of Good Hope Road, showed a gun and demanded property. The victim complied and they made off in the victim’s vehicle, police said.
The search for at least one other person is ongoing. Anyone with potentially relevant information is asked to contact police. A reward of up to $10,000 is available.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
