An FBI agent was carjacked near Capitol Hill on Wednesday afternoon as the number of armed carjackings has surged over the past year in the nation’s capital.
The FBI confirmed to The Hill that one of its employees was carjacked on Wednesday, adding that the FBI Washington Field office and D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) Carjacking Task Force are investigating the incident.
D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department said its officers responded to an armed carjacking at about 3:45 p.m. in the 100 block of 12th St. NE on Wednesday. The police said the victim was a federal agent and reported that two suspects had taken their vehicle, which was recovered shortly after the incident at about 4:10 p.m.
D.C. has seen a staggering jump in carjackings this year, recently surpassing 900 carjackings in 2023. Out of the 908 carjackings reported as of Wednesday, 77 percent have involved guns, according to D.C. carjacking data.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) was also a victim of an armed carjacking earlier this year when parking his car outside his D.C. apartment in Navy Yard.
Overall, violent crime in D.C. has increased over the past year, leading many Republicans to criticize Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser. According to D.C. crime data, there has been a 40 percent increase in violent crime in 2023 compared to last year.