Armed suspects robbed a student of his coat outside a high school in Northwest D.C. Thursday morning, police say.
Just before 10 a.m., three suspects pulled up in a car as the student was walking near Coolidge High School, got out of the car and demanded he give them his coat, police said. The student handed over the jacket.
As the suspects went back to their car, one of them fired a gunshot toward the ground, police said. The suspects then took off in the black Infinity with heavily tinted windows, police said.
Police said no one was hurt.
The school went into lockdown as a precaution.
"We want our children to be able to go to and from school, and while they’re at school, we want them to be safe. They should feel safe, the community needs to feel safe, so it is of grave concern," Metropolitan Police Department Cmdr. Carlos Heraud said.
D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee was at the school at the time.
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"You don’t want these incidents to happen. It’s very unfortunate, very concerning, but it is also good to see that our procedures are being followed," Ferebee said.
Less than two months ago, Safe Passage worker Michael Gaddis was shot and killed after some type of argument outside Coolidge High School.
His job was to keep students safe as they traveled to and from the building. He was off-duty at the time.
A nurse at Coolidge High School said lockdowns have become familiar.
"Yes, it’s very scary, but I’m actually used to it. We had several lockdowns this year," Andrella Adams said. "I definitely feel protected coming to work each day, but unfortunately, we can’t control on the outside that happens in the community."
It’s not yet clear what type of coat the suspects stole from the student. D.C. has seen a recent trend of armed suspects stealing Canada Goose jackets from people who are out walking. Purchased new, Canada Goose jackets can cost up to $1,800
