14-Year-Old Boy Charged In Series Of Armed Robbery-Kidnappings

WASHINGTON, DC — A 14-year-old boy has been charged in a series of armed kidnappings across Northwest D.C. where the victims were grabbed off the street and forced to withdraw money from ATMs, the Metropolitan Police Department announced Wednesday.

The kidnappings occurred on Capitol Hill, near Logan Circle and in Petworth. In some cases, the victims were blindfolded, and their hands bound with zip ties, a police official told WTOP.

The 14-year-old boy, from Southeast D.C., and his accomplices used a gun in all five incidents, and four of the incidents involved the armed kidnapping of a victim, the police said. The MPD said all of the incidents remain under investigation.

On Monday, the police said they were looking for three or four people in the armed kidnappings. Charges against the 14-year-old were filed on Tuesday after his arrest.

Three of the incidents involving the boy and other suspects occurred last Saturday, according to police. At about 2:20 a.m. on Aug. 28, the 14-year-old and other suspects approached a victim in the 1200 block of 10th Street Northwest. The suspects brandished firearms and forced the victim inside a vehicle, the MPD said

The suspects drove the victim to an ATM and obtained the victim’s account information to withdraw funds from the victim’s bank account. The suspects then released the victim at another location and fled the scene.

Shortly after the armed kidnapping, the 14-year-old and other suspects approached another victim in the 700 block of Kenyon Street Northwest. One of the suspects brandished a handgun and took money from the victim, according to the police.

On Aug. 26 at about 1:15 a.m., the teenage boy and other suspects brandished handguns and approached a victim in the intersection of 14th and Allison Street Northwest. When the victim attempted to flee, the suspects assaulted the victim and forced him into vehicle.

The suspects obtained property and account information from the victim. The suspects drove the victim to multiple ATMs and withdrew funds from the victim’s bank accounts. The suspects then released the victim at a another location and fled the scene, the police said.

In another case, the 14-year-old and other suspects approached a victim in the 5200 block of 14th Street Northwest on Aug. 25 at about 11 p.m. One of the suspects brandished a handgun and ordered the victim inside a vehicle.

The suspects obtained account information from the victim and then forced the victim out of the vehicle at a secondary location. The suspects later withdrew funds from the victim’s bank accounts, according to the police.

On Aug. 25 at around 10:30 p.m., the teenage boy and other suspects approached a victim in the 1300 block of Corcoran Street Northwest. One of the suspects brandished a handgun and additional suspects forced the victim inside a vehicle. The suspects drove the victim to multiple ATMs and withdrew funds from the victim’s bank accounts. The suspects then released the victim at another location and fled the scene.

Anyone who has knowledge of the incidents or information about the other suspects should call police at 202-727-9099, or text a tip to the MPD at 50411.