District crime in spotlight after Secret Service fires shots at car thieves near home of Naomi Biden
Crime and carjackings are getting so bad in Washington that even President Biden’s granddaughter and her security detail have been caught up in the danger.
A Secret Service agent on duty outside the Georgetown home of Naomi Biden fired gunshots at as many as three suspects breaking into an unoccupied, unmarked Secret Service SUV at 11:58 p.m. Sunday.
No one was hit by the gunfire and there was no threat to Ms. Biden, who wasn’t with the agents at the time, authorities said.
“The offenders immediately fled the scene in a red vehicle, and a regional lookout was issued to supporting units,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
The Secret Service said it is investigating the incident with the Metropolitan Police Department.
Authorities said Ms. Biden, 29, was made aware of the incident. A lawyer with the firm Arnold & Porter, she is the daughter of Hunter Biden and his first wife, Kathleen Buhle, and lives in the District wth her husband, Peter Neal.
The White House refused to comment on the crime or to say whether the president had spoken to his granddaughter about it. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it was “personal information” and referred reporters to the Secret Service.
Critics of the Biden administration, including congressional Republicans, said the incident underscored that crime is rampant in cities across the U.S. under Democratic control. Carjackings in Washington have surged 250% in the past five years, including more than 800 so far this year.
“Not even Biden’s own family can be shielded from the skyrocketing crime in Democrat-run cities,” said Rep. Ronny Jackson, Texas Republican, on X. “Average citizens are facing this mayhem EVERY DAY, except they don’t have the luxury of Secret Service protection. Our cities are turning into WAR ZONES under Biden!!”
Republican lawmakers also have blamed progressive prosecutors from San Francisco to New York for soft-on-crime policies that they say have encouraged a rise in numerous categories of crime, including retail theft that has led some major stores to close.
This year, homicides are up 32% in the District, with robberies up 68% and carjackings up 104%. Violent crime overall is up 39% in 2023.
Washington’s political class has been victimized by D.C.’s yearlong crime wave, which has produced spikes in shootings, robberies and carjackings.
Rep. Henry Cuellar, Texas Democrat, was carjacked by three masked gunmen last month a mile away from the U.S. Capitol. The congressman was unharmed, and his vehicle was recovered a short time later.
A staffer for Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, was stabbed multiple times in March by a man just released from a lengthy prison stint.
Rep. Angie Craig, Minnesota Democrat, was assaulted in her apartment building in February by a man who had 12 prior convictions.
Kendrid Hamlin pleaded guilty to assaulting Ms. Craig in June, and prosecutors are seeking to put him behind bars for 39 months.
The White House blamed Republicans for the rising crime in Washington and elsewhere, saying GOP lawmakers have resisted the president’s proposals for more funding for police.
“We have been very serious on dealing with crime that we’ve seen across the country and we’d love to work with Republicans on this, but they have not been serious on this,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said. “We have put forth the Safer America plan — $45 billion to continue to invest to make sure we are actually dealing with this type of crime. We don’t hear anything from them. So House Republicans, Republicans more broadly in Congress, if they want to get this done, we are willing to work with them.”
The Safer America Plan was announced last summer as part of Mr. Biden’s fiscal 2023 budget proposal. It would focus on hiring and retaining police officers, intervention strategies and other tools that the administration says would crack down on crime.
As part of the plan, nearly $13 billion would be used by communities to hire 100,000 officers across the country over the next five years. The money would come in the form of grants to “recruit, train, support and manage” officers.
Much of the proposal did not make it into the final budget when it was approved last year.
Juveniles have received much attention for the crime wave this year, particularly as it relates to carjackings and auto thefts in the nation’s capital.
D.C. police have documented 863 carjackings as of Monday — which smashes the previous high of 484 that police recorded just last year.
More than 6,100 cars have been stolen this year. That’s a 98% increase from the 3,081 that had been taken at this point in 2022.
The problem has become so prevalent that D.C. police have issued tips for motorists to protect themselves, such as avoiding driving alone and avoiding the lane closest to the curb.
“Don’t stop to assist a stranger whose car has broken down,” police advised.
Underage offenders have accounted for 151 carjacking arrests in the District, according to data shared by Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office. Police data shows that two-thirds of those arrested for violent car thefts this year are juveniles.
On Monday, Mayor Bowser declared a public emergency on youth crime.
The declaration will allow the District to put more children in places such as shelter homes, treatment centers and secure facilities, and expedites the creation of an additional 10-bed unit at the city’s juvenile detention facility.
The public emergency also allows for detained juveniles to participate in rehabilitation programs and incentivizes private providers to create more shelter homes, particularly for girls.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.