Police are searching for the person who stole keys from the valet stand outside a Northwest D.C. restaurant late Saturday night.
The theft happened outside of Del Frisco’s Steakhouse on I Street NW at around 10 p.m..
One patron, James Tyler, was having dinner with his wife and some friends when the night took a frustrating turn. In the middle of the meal, Tyler was told to come outside because someone had stolen his keys from the valet box.
The Metropolitan Police Department said at least four sets of keys were taken, including Tyler’s. None of the vehicles were stolen.
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Investigators said the valet attendant was talking to a customer when all of a sudden, someone swiped the keys from the valet box and took off.
Police have not provided any information about the suspect or a potential getaway car.
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Tyler said he had to wait until someone could bring him a spare key so he could finally leave.
Another victim, Andrea Ible, had come all the way to D.C. from Baltimore, Maryland, and she went through quite the ordeal to recover her car.
"All we heard was, ‘Girl, no! All the keys?’ And so everyone was like, what is she talking about? All the keys?” Ible said.
Ible was celebrating her friend’s birthday when she caught wind of what had happened.
"It was a frenzy. Everyone was nervous, anxious. People were wondering what happened, how did it happen," she said.
Ible was left stranded since she drove all the way from Baltimore. Her car was parked in a parking garage which closed at 2 a.m., leaving her no choice but to have to Uber all the way home and then make her way back to the District in the morning.
"They also said there would be no guarantee that my car would be there, so it was stressful to say the least," Ible said.
Similar crimes have occurred at least three other times just this year.
In February, thieves were caught on camera stealing the valet stand from RPM Italian restaurant in downtown D.C. In January, police said the valet box at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse was broken into twice.
Tyler said the concerning trend has eroded his trust in valet services.
“I will not be valeting my car anymore. When I saw the news of the first time they took the whole box, it was so mind-blowing to me that somebody would do that. And now, I’m a victim of when they did it this time. So now I’m completely not valeting my car ever again,” he said.
The valet company has not yet responded to a request for comment on the incident.
