Thieves have once again targeted people wearing Canada Goose jackets, this time, a couple walking around Dupont Circle who was visiting from out of state with their son.
What started out as a leisurely stroll around the sites of D.C. ended in the 1800 block of T Street NW for the couple from upstate New York.
“I’m an attorney from the south Bronx, living in rough neighborhoods in New York, so I thought I would be well-equipped,” Julian Kaufman said.
But he and his wife, Sheila Kaufman, who were walking with their son, weren’t ready to be accosted at gunpoint in the middle of the afternoon.
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“And all of a sudden someone’s like, ‘Gimme your coat! Gimme your coat!’ And I thought, is this a joke?” Sheila Kaufman said. “And then he waved a gun by me… and I took it off and gave it to him.”
The coats were Canada Goose. Coveted by criminals, there’s been a rash of robberies for the expensive outerwear. A Howard University student was also targeted for his Canada Goose jacket on Jan. 24 on Georgia Avenue NW.
After Sheila Kaufman gave up her coat, another gunman went up to her husband and demanded his.
Julian Kaufman said the gunman started counting down from five. He didn’t get to one before he handed over the jacket.
“What’re you gonna do if you’re in that situation? You got a gun to your head, so,” Julian Kaufman said.
The most compelling evidence police have so far is some Ring camera video that captured the moments just after the robbery.
In video released by D.C. police, the suspects can be seen getting into a silver Hyundai Elantra and speeding off.
Shiela Kaufman said their son had spotted two men “sitting in an alleyway with their ski masks on, and he said he started walking faster.”
But the robbers caught up.
“They were in and out fast, so they seemed to know what they were doing. I’m sure they’d done it before; they didn’t seem like rookies,” Julian Kaufman said.
The escape vehicle was last seen headed north. The Kaufmans weren’t injured, but they were coatless and cold, and a little more conscious of the value some people put on certain jackets.
In the meantime, authorities hope the video will lead to arrests.
