D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the mixture of youth and violent crime a “recipe for tragedy” after police said a 13-year-old carjacker was shot and killed by a driver last weekend.
Metropolitan Police are looking for a second juvenile suspect from Saturday night’s carjacking in downtown that left Vernard Toney Jr. dead.
Police said Vernard was killed when the off-duty federal security officer targeted in the carjacking attempt used his own gun to shoot the teen. The victim’s firearm was legally registered, police said.
“Guns, carjackings, 13-year-olds: recipe for tragedy, and that’s what we have,” Ms. Bowser said Monday during a news conference.
Authorities said two juveniles approached the officer around 10 p.m. Saturday as he sat in his car in the 600 block of D Street NW, about one block from police headquarters.
The officer told police that one suspect was holding his waistband as if he had a gun tucked away.
Police haven’t said whether another gun was recovered from the scene.
No charges have been brought against the off-duty officer.
NBC affiliate WRC-TV reported that Vernard was the 12-year-old who was arrested in May for a string of nine carjackings, all in Southeast.
“He was known to the Metropolitan Police Department, and it’s just unfortunate that this particular incident happened on Saturday night that caused him to no longer be here,” acting Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said.
Vernard’s death comes after a 15-year-old girl was arrested last week and charged with being involved in two separate carjackings within hours of each other.
Police said the suspects crashed the two stolen vehicles early Thursday in the Brentwood neighborhood. Kendra Outlaw, the 16-year-old driver of one of the stolen vehicles, was killed in the collision.
Ms. Bowser said the 15-year-old girl, who was a passenger in one of the wrecked cars, had been charged in multiple carjackings.
The mayor took aim at D.C. Superior Court Judge Andrea Hertzfeld for releasing the child to her family since there was no space at a non-secure shelter.
“What was available was a secured environment,” Ms. Bowser said Monday, referring to the city’s juvenile detention facility. “In my opinion, you’ve been arrested for the seventh time for carjacking, that is where you belong.”
“[The Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services] does not make that decision, judges do,” the mayor said. “It’s the judge’s right to say, ‘I prefer shelter, and if I can’t get a shelter, then I’m going to send this child home.’ The child was sent home. The child is now not with us.”
D.C. police data shows that 85 juveniles have been arrested for carjacking this year. Underage offenders account for 63% of those arrested for violent car thefts.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.