Two Odd Car Crimes in Northwest DC

Periodically we check the Second District Police reports for not-your-garden-variety crimes. Here's one in which the car was stolen just before it was to be moved out of state by a car transport company, and another in which the car was destroyed by an arsonist.

On June 30, 2011, between 7 pm and 11 pm, the complainant reported her vehicle was stolen while it was parked in the 4300 block of 47th Street, NW. The complainant reported she had left the keys readily available for a car transport company to move the vehicle to an out of state location. The transport company reported it did not move the vehicle. The vehicle was taken by unknown suspect/s; there is no lookout. The vehicle is a 1995 black Saab station wagon with Oregon tags.

On Wednesday, July 6, 2011, at 10:12 pm a Destruction of Property/Felony offense occurred in the 5300 block of Potomac Avenue, NW (PSA 205) and was subsequently reported by the MPD. A reporting person stated she heard a loud bang in the area and when she looked outside she saw a vehicle on fire. Investigation revealed the fire was intentionally set. There is no lookout for this offense.

Be on the Lookout for Suspicious Flatbed Truck Cruising Through Alleys in NW DC

Lt. Victor Braschnewitz of the Metropolitan Police Department, has posted this alert about a flatbed truck that could possibly be used to steal cars:

A citizen approached me this morning at 8:35 a.m. and reported he had, over the course of the last three days, noticed a flatbed truck in the area of 41st and Garrison Streets, NW. The flatbed truck was seen both this morning and Wednesday morning cruising through the alleys. The complete description of this vehicle is a large truck with a charcoal gray colored cab and an aluminum colored flatbed. The vehicle tag was not noted.

If anyone else notices this flatbed truck in their neighborhood, please call 911 and we will respond to investigate. It is not uncommon for some truck owner/drivers to use their vehicles to steal cars. Barring an obvious collision scenario, one should consider a truck cruising for cars as potential criminal activity afoot and one should not hesitate to call the MPD.

Car Stolen in Shepherd Park Neighborhood

This just in from the Shepherd Park listserv: A District resident had her car stolen while it was warming up, driverless. Idling cars are not just bad for the environment, but they make your car an easy target for thieves. Here is the firsthand account of this particular car theft:

This morning (Saturday), our car was stolen in front of our house as my husband and children were approaching to get into it. Patrick had just finished cleaning off the sidewalk and car and left the car on warming up. He just walked up to our stoop to put the shovel there and the kids were walking down the steps when a Ford Explorer pulled up, the passenger hopped out of it and jumped into our car and sped away. 

The police told us that there had just been two house robberies in the area and it was likely the thieves were looking for an alternative getaway car. He also told us that thieves have been casing neighborhoods in the mornings looking for these types of opportunities. With the cold weather, I know many of us do exactly what we did this morning -- let the car warm up for awhile before getting into it. And, many of us actually go back into the house while the car is warming up. What is extra scary about our situation is that the thieves were bold enough to do it with my family actually outside heading towards the car! 

So be extra cautious.  It's better to suffer the cold for a little while rather than be a victim of a crime.