Two teenage boys have been arrested in connection to a string of robberies in the U Street area of D.C. One victim died days after he was attacked.
Bryan Smith, 39, was walking home about 5 a.m. on T Street NW on Sunday, Oct. 27 when the two teen suspects robbed and beat him, leaving him with severe head trauma, police said.
Smith died from his injuries a few days later.
D.C. police announced Friday they arrested two boys, ages 14 and 16, in connection to the crime.
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"While nothing can undo the senseless loss, we hope today's arrest offers some measure of justice and a step toward healing. We are here to send a very clear message today. If you commit violence in our city, we will find you and we will hold you accountable," Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said Friday.
The attack on Smith was the first in a string of violent assaults and robberies the two suspects committed that morning, police said.
An hour after the assault on T Street, the teens assaulted multiple people in the 1900 block of 14th Street NW and tried to rob them, police said.
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Minutes later, they robbed someone in the 1800 block of Vermont Avenue NW, according to police. They then robbed another person in the 900 block of Rhode Island Ave. more than an hour later, police said.
Surveillance video helped identify the suspects.
"For the last two weeks, our detectives have worked around the clock investigating these cases. They canvassed a wide area around each offense, uncovering video footage critical to identifying the suspects," Assistant Police Chief Ramey Kyle said.
Kyle said investigators tracked cell phones the suspects took and monitored transactions made on stolen credit cards.
"All those efforts paid off early Thursday morning when our investigators closed in on a 14-year-old suspect," he said.
Officers found the 14-year-old asleep in a stolen car and arrested him before finding and arresting the 16-year-old later Thursday.
Both suspects were charged with robbery, assault with intent to commit robbery and other related charges.
They have not yet been charged in Bryan Smith's death. Investigators said they are still waiting on the medical examiner to rule on his cause and manner of death.
