A Howard University student became the most recent robbery victim targeted for his Canada Goose winter jacket on Tuesday.
The crime took place on Georgia Avenue NW, in a popular commercial area that draws a steady stream of students, at around noon. According to court documents, three suspects surrounded the victim and one said, “Give me that jacket.”
Howard University police made arrests after the student was punched and robbed, the latest in a series of crimes dating back to late December.
People in D.C.’s Bloomingdale neighborhood were also assaulted by thieves who wanted the jackets, which can retail for more than $1,000.
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In one case, a man was attacked on his way to work by robbers who made it clear they wanted his parka.
“A guy jumped out of a black car and threatened to pull a gun on me and wanted my Canada Goose jacket,” the victim, who did not want to be identified, said.
He added that he was on his way to work riding his electric scooter down New Jersey Avenue NW at around 9 a.m. in late December when a man ran up to him as he was stopped in traffic, implied he had a gun and demanded the jacket.
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The victim said he resisted, and a motorist scared the guy off.
The victim then continued, turning right onto N Street NW.
“And the car was waiting for me there. And about two guys jumped out of the car, and thankfully I was wearing my jacket and my helmet, and they tried to jostle me, knocked me off the scooter, started to punch me, started to really assault me,” he said. “I just started screaming at the top of my lungs, and they ran away.”
That assault came just days after a couple walking with their young children were attacked near First and W streets NW on Dec. 18 around noon.
One of the victims told News4 she believes the would-be robbers were trying to pull her Canada Goose jacket off her but did not succeed.
The jackets are also being stolen from places like waiting rooms and fitness classes, which is why police recommend that people mark theirs in some way, so the rightful owners will be able to identify it if it is recovered.
