A Washington, D.C., city council candidate had his car stolen from him while he was fixing up some of his campaign signs Tuesday morning.
Paul Johnson, who is serving as Ward 4 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in Petworth, was hanging up campaign signs Tuesday morning near Ft. Stevens Drive NW and 16th Street NW in the Brightwood neighborhood near Rock Creek Park, where his car was stolen from him.
Johnson said he got out of his car to fix one of his campaign signs that was off-kilter. He left the car running with the key in the ignition when he heard another car pull up behind him and it became clear to him what was going to happen next.
“What appeared to be at least three individuals in the car, popped out of the back seat and jumped into my car,” Johnson told the Washington Examiner. He said they were staring at him, where he was standing steps away from the vehicle. “They said, ‘Don’t move.’”
Johnson complied and did not move or say anything back to the perpetrators. He said the way they were standing made it appear to him that they were armed.
The people drove off with his car.
“I was standing there with my thoughts and without my possessions, having felt threatened,” Johnson said. “My phone was also in the car as well.”
His car, which he said is a family vehicle he and his wife use to drive their daughter around, was later recovered a little over a mile away on Fern St. NW and 9th St. NW in the Takoma neighborhood. Johnson said his wife was able to track his cellphone using tracking data, which “turned out to be a bit of a saving grace.”
He said nothing was stolen, save some campaign posters. Johnson said he did not have a weapon at the time of the theft but joked he “was armed with a stapler and zip ties” he was using to fix his campaign posters.
Johnson’s story is not rare — carjackings and thefts have been on the rise in Washington. In 2023, 6,829 motor vehicles were stolen, which was an 82% increase from 2022. However, the trend may be changing, as there has been a 31% decrease in motor vehicle thefts so far in 2024 compared to the same time frame last year. Johnson is running his campaign on curbing crime, which he called a “community issue.”
“Strong interventions on crime in our community are needed so all of us feel safe including a fully funded MPD and stronger civilian oversight,” his campaign website reads.
If elected, Johnson said he would not deny the problem of crime like he experienced.
“We need to work with stakeholders to get things done for residents, so it’s safe, so that the innocents are protected, not empty rhetoric and deflection and denial that we have a problem,” Johnson said.
He said Washington needs “real jobs and opportunities for young people to have an opportunity to make better choices.” To him, some opportunities include more investment in “appropriate education that leads to skills, skill development, night schools, [and] vocational schools.”
Johnson said having his car stolen was ironic because of the grassroots nature of his political career and his current campaign strategy for councilman for Ward 4.
“I’m a mediator,” Johnson said. “I’ve mediated in D.C. Jail for people coming home from infractions that reintegrate in the community. I’m very in touch with community organizations and young people. It was a shame to see that and to see that so early in the morning.”
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Johnson said he is looking to use what happened to him Tuesday as an opportunity to reinforce his campaign.
“I’m recovering from the incident, reflecting on it,” Johnson said. “I’m in the midst of a campaign where I’m sort of running from pillar to post, but it provided an opportunity to reflect and reinforce.”