D.C. Police Uncertain Rapper Was Carjacking Victim

"It was a random act," Sherman said.

Giles could not be reached for comment. His spokeswoman said he was resting.

After the shooting, the gunman jumped back into the Expedition, which police believe was also occupied by another man, and drove away. The SUV was chased by two officers with the Federal Protective Service who were patrolling nearby, police said.

The vehicle crashed in the 600 block of U Street NW, briefly trapping the two men, police said. The gunman shot out a window and the men escaped, police said.

Police said they recovered a wealth of evidence from the scene and were able to locate the Expedition's owner, who said he had lent the SUV to a friend.

Upon being discharged from the hospital Sunday afternoon, Giles said "it was a sloppy job on their part," referring to the men in the Expedition.

"They didn't get anything," he said, pointing to the rows of shiny chains on his neck. A friend said that Giles was wearing $200,000 worth of diamonds and other jewelry at the time of the shooting.

Giles was in town to support artists on his label, Diplomat Records, and to party, said his spokeswoman, Lynn Hobson.

His forthcoming album, called "Killa Season," will be released in February, Hobson said yesterday.

Staff writer Hamil R. Harris and staff researcher Bobbye Pratt contributed to this report.