A carjacking victim says when a gun went off, he thought he’d been shot before he realized it was just his clothing that was hit.
The victim was filling up his car at a gas station in the 5400 block of Annapolis Road in Bladensburg, Maryland, about 1:30 a.m. March 17 when a man got out of a dark gray, four-door Nissan Altima at the next pump and demanded his car at gunpoint, police said.
After a brief struggle between the gunman and victim, the gunman shot at the victim, police said.
The gunman then drove off in the victim’s car, a white 2019 Kia Forte.
A picture of bullet holes in the victim's sweater show just how close he was to getting shot in the back.
The victim said he was traumatized for at least a couple of days. He said he’s not going to drive at night or in the early morning hours for now.
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“We ask that you do not fight,” Prince George’s County police Cpl. Kyndle Johnson said. “You know, comply. Just give them what they want. You know, your life is more precious than anything else.”
There has been a spike in carjackings in the area. In Prince George’s County, they’ve almost tripled compared to this time last year. From January to March in 2019 there were 14. For the same time period in 2020 there were 21. So far this year, there have been 62.
“Carjackings are up at this time, and that’s why we are trying to let our community know to please be vigilant and aware of your surroundings and things that are going on to try to protect yourself,” Johnson said.
