WASHINGTON — A minivan driver who stopped for gas in the early morning last month ended up in a wild fight over his backpack, and the D.C. police have released video of the incident in the hopes that someone can help them find the suspects.
Shortly after 5 a.m. Feb. 19, two men in a small blue four-door car pulled into the gas station at 14th and Allison streets in Northwest, near the Petworth neighborhood. One man slipped out of the passenger side of the car, crept over to a white minivan parked by a gas pump and grabbed a backpack out of the van.
As the man ran back to the car, the driver of the minivan pursued him, pulling him out of the car and grabbing the backpack. The minivan driver was flung around and slammed to the ground at least three times, but held onto the backpack.
The driver of the car eventually joined the fight and, after attacking the minivan driver, got the backpack. Just when the men were about to get in the car and leave, the minivan driver grabbed the backpack back, and the two men in the car drove away.
The Metropolitan Police Department is asking anyone with information on this case, or who can identify the suspects, to call (202) 727-9099 or text a tip to 50411.
Police statistics show that while many crimes are down this year compared to the same point last year, including a 19 percent drop in violent crime, theft from cars has increased 18 percent over the same period.
