Monday, December 11, 2023
Ten teens were charged on Monday in a string of carjackings in Washington, D.C., authorities said, amid what law enforcement calls a sharp rise in the crime in the nation's capital. The 10 suspects are believed to be involved in two separate carjacking rings in D.C., authorities said: The teens, who are being charged as adults, are allegedly responsible for at least 15 vehicle thefts and held victims at gunpoint, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Matthew Graves, said at a news conference.
The charges represented the largest federal carjacking arrest in D.C. this year, Graves said. The teenagers allegedly had a group chat "discussing some of the carjackings covered by these indictments," Graves told reporters on Monday, adding, "One defendant wrote 'GTA IRL,' which we allege means 'Grand Theft Auto' in real life."
Carjackings have skyrocketed in the nation's capital, according to officials: With a few days left in the calendar year, there have been 932 carjackings in 2023 in Washington -- 77% of which involved guns. Only 167 people have been arrested for carjacking in the district and of those arrests, 62% were juveniles, according to authorities. One of the teens charged on Monday allegedly shot a ride-share driver multiple times during an attempted carjacking, law enforcement said. His victim miraculously survived his injuries.
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