Two people were injured during an attempted robbery in Northeast Washington, D.C., on Saturday night, according to police.
The suspect in the incident, who has since been arrested, allegedly tried to rob a victim at gunpoint, and both were shot after a struggle over the firearm. The two were found injured within a few streets of each other and transported to nearby hospitals with non-life-threatening wounds, police said.
The suspect, a 17-year-old male from Suitland, Maryland, was arrested and charged with assault with intent to rob on Sunday. According to The Washington Post, “two stabbings, a carjacking and five other robberies” were reported between Saturday evening and Sunday morning as well.
These incidents took place as President Donald Trump sent National Guard troops and federal agents to D.C. to engage in a crackdown on crime, which has been widely criticized by some district leaders who’ve argued the approach is ineffective and also undermines resident trust. Reported crime, including homicides, has decreased since Trump began the crackdown, and this weekend’s string of violent crimes stands out, The Post reports.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb stressed during a House Oversight hearing last week that Trump’s approach wasn’t a “durable, lasting” solution for reducing crime in D.C. Prior to Trump’s deployment of troops, D.C. had already seen declines in violent crime, which was at a 30-year low.
