Members of the Guardian Angels citizen crime patrol are organizing a watch Saturday night in the Dupont Circle area to raise awareness of two robberies that took place there earlier this week.
Two women were assaulted in the 1500 block of Q Street, Northwest shortly after 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night. Police say that both women were punched by unknown men. In both cases, the woman's assailant attempted to take their iPhones. One suspect made off with his victim's iPhone and laptop, while the other attempted to take his victim's iPhone, but fled before he could do so. The assaults occurred just seconds apart and feet away from each other.
Police say that the suspects in the robberies were wearing black hooded jackets and were seen riding bicycles in the Dupont Circle area.
John Ayala, Washington D.C. Chapter Leader of the Guardian Angels, said that members of the group would be at 1500 P Street, Northwest from 8 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday. Ayala said that group members would hand out fliers containing information about the attacks, as well as safety tips about using electronic devices.
Ayala also said that the group would be "looking for men riding around on bicycles and [we] will make a citizen arrest if we witness a crime. We don't want Dupont Circle to become the criminals [sic] one stop shop for cell phones this Christmas."
