Police officials in Northeast, Washington, D.C. are advising people not to carry a lot of cash with them and to avoid flashing their phones in public. The warning came after a group of armed individuals robbed nine victims in three different locations.
Authorities say the robberies took place Monday morning and were carried out in under one hour. They also reported that the victims were all landscapers or construction workers, hinting at the fact that they were racially-incited robberies.
According to D.C. police commander, Leslie Parsons, “Suspects have been targeting members of our Latino community while they’re working on home renovation sites or homes under construction.” The Monday morning robberies started at about 11:35 AM.
Two masked individuals ambushed a couple of roofers working on a house on the 2800 block of 30th Street NE. Police reports say one of the thieves was holding a fire weapon and instructed the workers to hand over their belongings of value.
The perpetrators fled the scene when the Latino workers gave them a wallet and a cell phone. Ten minutes later, at around 11:45 AM, the second incident occurred near the first location, but this time things went south for the Latino victims.
Local police report that four individuals were in a parking lot on Bladensburg Road when three suspicious men approached them. One of the suspects flashed a gun and told the four men to give up their possessions, but one of them refused.
The man with the lethal weapon shot at the victim, but there were no injuries. They took whatever they could from the four guys before running away yet again to reach their third and final destination nearly 30 minutes after the second one.
Three Latino workers were working on a home on the 3000 block of Yost Place, N.E., D.C. when three men threatened them at gunpoint. This last theft was at around 12:10 PM that same day, and authorities are almost sure all three crimes were by the same group of men.
Unfortunately, the only lead police currently have is that the getaway car is black with faded paint on the hood. For now, they urge everybody, especially Latinos working outdoors, to remain alert and to keep valuable belongings at home.
Article Inspired By NBCWASHINGTON // Armed Robbers Target Latino Construction Workers in NW DC