Two different 12-year-olds have been arrested in Washington, D.C., after police say they each went on crime sprees across the city.
In a Thursday press release, Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department announced the arrest of a 12-year-old male they say attempted to rob an establishment, attempted to carjack an individual and committed a robbery all in a 10-minute span on Wednesday.
The press release stated that the suspect walked into an establishment at 4:36 p.m. in southeast DC and demanded property, but the employee did not comply, and the suspect fled the scene.
Two minutes later, the 12-year-old tried to open the door of a vehicle and attempted to carjack another individual who also did not comply and sped away.
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At 4:46 p.m., police say the suspect demanded money from another victim who complied, and responding officers were able to make an arrest.
In a separate press release on Thursday, the Metropolitan Police Department announced that a second 12-year-old male was arrested for a separate armed crime spree over the past few weeks.
Police say the 12-year-old’s litany of crimes started on March 21 when he exited a car driven by another suspect and assaulted another individual while trying to steal property before eventually fleeing.
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On Sunday, April 16, police say those same suspects approached a victim entering her vehicle in southeast D.C. and "brandished a handgun and demanded the victim exit their vehicle.
"The victim complied, then the suspects fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle."
On April 17, police say the suspect was involved in another armed carjacking and committed two more armed carjackings on April 20.
From April 24 to April 29, the suspect is believed to have committed four more armed carjackings before being arrested on Thursday, May 4.
Fox 5 DC reported this week that violent crime in the nation's capital is up 9% from the same time last year, which includes a 20% rise in homicides.
Data also shows that violent crime committed by juveniles is on the rise in Washington, D.C., and many residents have expressed concerns about juveniles not being prosecuted as rigorously as adults.
"It’s a major concern. And it hurts," Salvador Sauceda-Guzman, ANC Commissioner in Ward 5, said during a meeting with constituents last month.
"It hurts if anything because these kids shouldn’t be doing these things. We should be finding different routes for them to express themselves to handle the anger that a majority of the time this stems from. Poverty is a real deal here in D.C., we face it. I see it a lot in my community. I’m impacted by it. I try to do my best, but when it comes to our youth, we should find better ways to help them kind of navigate out of this."
