Robberies Shake Up Residents, D.C. Police

19 Are Reported On Capitol Hill In Recent Days

A rash of robberies in the Capitol Hill area in recent days -- including one steps from the U.S. Capitol -- has residents jittery and police stepping up their visibility.

The police district that includes Capitol Hill and RFK Stadium reported 19 robberies from Friday night through Monday, including five carried out at gunpoint. Fifteen occurred over the weekend and four on Monday, police said.

No one was seriously hurt, police said, although some victims were knocked to the ground. In some cases, assailants brandished knives. Other robberies were purse-snatchings, including one at 3 p.m. Sunday about two blocks from Eastern Market.

"There's definitely been a pickup," said Cmdr. Diane Groomes, who heads the 1st Police District. "Fifteen robberies in a weekend is extreme. That's a lot."

The previous weekend, there were five holdups in the 1st Police District, according to police data.

D.C. Council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) said he is planning a meeting with Groomes and Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier to address the concerns of residents, who have been sharing information and fears via Internet message boards.

"We want a strategy on how to address this," Wells said.

Police arrested suspects in four of the recent robberies, Groomes said. Police said they are not sure whether the others are related because not all follow a pattern.

But there are similarities. In three robberies, late Saturday and early Sunday, three robbers fled in a silver car, Groomes said. And five robberies took place near the Potomac Avenue Metro station, some in the afternoon.

Groomes said that detectives are conducting follow-up investigations and that officers are stepping up their presence in the community.

In the rest of the city, there were 26 robberies from Friday to Monday. The 3rd Police District, which has had the most muggings in the city in recent years, recorded three robberies last weekend. That district includes neighborhoods such as Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights, which, like Capitol Hill, are busy places.

Police said they do not know why the robbers appear to be targeting the Capitol Hill area.

One of the most brazen of the recent holdups took place Monday afternoon when two tourists were robbed at Third and Maryland streets NE, next to the Capitol complex, an area heavily patrolled by U.S. Capitol Police. Officers saw the robbers drive off and chased the car, authorities said. After the getaway car hit a teenager at 10th and I streets, the robbers bailed out and ran away, police said. The youth's injuries were not considered life-threatening, authorities said.

Later Monday, two other robberies occurred near Lincoln Park, an area bustling with joggers, Frisbee throwers and dog walkers. A woman's purse was snatched at 4 p.m. in the 200 block of 13th Street NE, and another woman was robbed of her purse at knifepoint at 9:35 p.m. in the 100 block of 11th Street NE, police said.

Alcione Vinet, owner of the Park Cafe, which overlooks Lincoln Park, said he is concerned about crime near the restaurant. About once a week, he said, he drives patrons home in his car, sometimes because they are afraid to walk and taxis can take up to an hour to arrive.

"I am happy to do that anytime," Vinet said. "I feel so bad when people say they're afraid to leave."