A juvenile suspect in a carjacking was grazed by a bullet in Washington D.C., and a police investigation early Friday shut down part of Benning Road NE, authorities say.
It all started with a carjacking that happened at about 3 a.m. in the 1900 block of 14th Street SE, targeting a red Toyota Camry. The suspect in that carjacking is a juvenile, police said.
The juvenile allegedly left the scene and ended up in the 3300 block of Benning Road NE.
Some kind of altercation on Benning Road ended with at least one shot fired, police said. A bullet grazed the juvenile in the head, police said.
A red car with an open door and a broken window was seen straddling the median on Benning Road. A crime scene technician was seen going over the car, which was surrounded by broken glass.
Those who live and drive in the area say carjackings are out of control.
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"It's pretty crazy, especially how young the kids are," said one man who lives nearby. "I just think it needs to stop."
The District has seen a rise in carjackings, with many of the crimes committed by juveniles. Though we're not quite two weeks into the new year, there have been 16 carjackings so far.
There are not yet any statistics for the number of juvenile offenders in 2024, but in 2023, a whopping 62% of carjacking arrests were people under 18 years old.
Residents near the scene of Friday's carjacking said there should be tougher penalties in place.
"They don't get no time when they get caught! Most of them are right back out there on the street doing the same thing again," said another resident in the area.
Benning Road was closed from 34th Street to Anacostia Avenue.
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