The victimization of another member of Congress by the District’s crime wave shows that even high-profile residents of the nation’s capital can’t avoid the violence and armed stick-ups being carried out with abandon.
Authorities said three armed suspects carjacked Rep. Henry Cuellar, Texas Democrat, around 9:30 p.m. Monday right outside his apartment building in the Navy Yard neighborhood.
“Three guys came out of nowhere and they pointed guns at me,” Mr. Cuellar said Tuesday to a press gaggle on Capitol Hill. “I do have a black belt, but I recognize when you have three guns.”
The congressman, who returned to work Tuesday as normal, said he calmly cooperated with the three suspects, who he added were all masked, appeared to be young, and didn’t seem to know who he was.
They not only took his white Toyota crossover but also his phone, tablet and luggage, though all were quickly retrieved on the 2600 block of Douglass Road Southeast.
“They recovered the car, they recovered everything, but what really got me upset is they took my sushi,” Mr. Cuellar joked.
He mentioned that other House Democrats, such as New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark, live in the same building, which sits between K Street and New Jersey Avenue in Southeast, a short walk from Nationals Park and not far from Capitol Hill.
Neither the Metropolitan Police nor the U.S. Capitol Police had reported any arrests by Tuesday afternoon.
“We have a number of leads,” Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said.
Federal lawmakers pointed to the incident as another chapter in the District’s ongoing crime wave, which has seen year-over-year spikes in homicides (up 38%), robberies (up 68%) and carjackings (up 109%) and created a sense of lawlessness in the capital city.
“My friend, Rep. Cuellar, became the victim of a crime tonight in what’s considered a nice part of D.C.,” Sen. Mike Lee, Utah Republican, wrote on the social-media site X late Monday. “D.C. is dangerous. Something’s gone terribly wrong here—for far too long. Congress has the sole power to make D.C.’s laws, and must intervene.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, blamed misplaced priorities, saying the U.S. Attorney’s Office should be “prosecuting real criminals instead of persecuting their political enemies.”
The federal prosecutor handles most major crimes in the District, but also has led the charge in prosecuting the Jan. 6 rioters from 2021 and brought a case against former President Donald Trump.
U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves has come under fire for declining to pursue two-thirds of the cases brought to his office by D.C. police.
Congressional Republicans haven’t been shy about using their constitutional authority to shut down local D.C. laws that legislators feel threaten public safety.
The GOP spearheaded a bipartisan effort this spring to overturn a massive rewrite of the District’s criminal code.
The process to negate the overhauled criminal code started in February, around the time Rep. Angie Craig, Minnesota Democrat, was assaulted in her apartment building by a man with 12 prior convictions.
A month later, a member of Sen. Rand Paul’s staff was stabbed at random by a man who had just finished a lengthy prison term.
Rep. Bryan Steil, Wisconsin Republican, hosted a safety meeting for Capitol Hill politicians and staffers last month.
Those in attendance were advised to keep phone calls short to avoid distracting themselves while out walking, and to leave space at red lights in case they need to speed away from would-be carjackers.
Foreign officials, including ones from violence-wracked countries with powerful criminal cartels, have also cautioned their citizens about the violent crime plaguing America’s capital.
The consulates for Mexico and Guatemala put out public warnings over the summer, with the Mexican officials saying in July that “the city of Washington, D.C., is experiencing a significant increase in crime in areas previously considered safe.”
Mexican Consul Rafael Laveaga advised those visiting the District to be aware of their surroundings, especially at ATMs, and urged people not to fight back if armed gunmen wanted to take their car.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.