'Troubling' Rise In Juvenile Carjackings Concerns Prince George's County, DC Police

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — An alarming rise in carjackings across Prince George's County and in Washington, D.C., particularly those involving juveniles, has prompted officials to speak out.

Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz joined County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee III to announce that they will ramp up joint crime-fighting efforts along the border and increase intelligence sharing.

So far in 2022, there have been 64 reported carjackings in Prince George’s County with five adult arrests and 14 juvenile arrests. These arrests are in addition to the 86 juvenile arrests in 2021 and 66 adult arrests, up from 77 juvenile arrests in 2020 and 21 juvenile arrests in 2019, according to the police.

“The Prince George’s County Police Department is committed to an even stronger working relationship with our law enforcement partners at the Metropolitan Police Department. We know that criminals often commit crimes in one jurisdiction, for example here in the county, and then immediately cross over the border into D.C. Criminals know no borders. The growing number of juveniles committing these violent offenses cannot continue. Our communities deserve to be safe and the juveniles deserve a brighter future. We must hold juveniles accountable for their actions and ensure they are getting the services needed as well,” Aziz said.

“We have seen a troubling increase in carjackings across our region, driven in large part by juveniles,” added Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. “Our ecosystem is damaged, and while we are doing everything we can to resolve this issue, it cannot be solved by government and police departments alone. We need our community and families to step up and join us by wrapping their arms around these kids, because they are the future of our community.”

In Prince George’s County, in order to tackle the growing number of carjackings, Aziz recently established a carjacking interdiction unit that centralizes carjacking investigations with detectives assigned solely to carjacking cases. Since it launched in September 2021, the CIU has received 204 cases and made 92 arrests. Of those arrests, 29 are adults and 63 are juveniles.

“Chief Aziz’s creation of the carjacking interdiction unit is a clear signal that the PGPD is committed to stopping the growing trend of carjackings in the county. In a majority of our cases with juveniles, we are dealing with repeat offenders. Several of the juveniles have been arrested previously for robbery, carjacking and possession of firearms. The message out on the street is clear. We have heard directly from juveniles who have told us 'nothing is going to happen to me.' The arrest, however, is only the first step in justice and accountability,” Major Sunny Mrotek, commander of the carjacking interdiction unit, said.

One of the most recent carjackings in the county was captured on a home surveillance system. On Jan. 10 at about 5:25 p.m., two victims had just arrived to their Temple Hills home when two suspects approached them on their front porch. At least one of those suspects had a weapon. The suspects demanded the victims’ keys and other personal items and then stole their vehicle parked in front of their home. The victims were uninjured.