According to data from D.C. police, there have been over 900 reported carjackings in the District this year amid the increase of crime in the city.
Police said that 77% of those carjackings involved a gun. The numbers also revealed that there have been close to 160 arrests for carjackings, with 65% of them being people under 18 years old.
Just last month, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas was carjacked by three armed attackers near the Capitol before his vehicle was quickly recovered.
Also last month, three D.C. teenagers were arrested in connection to two carjackings — one in Northeast and another in Southeast — that happened within a few hours of each other.
A D.C. teenager was indicted in August in connection to six carjackings and was accused of attempting to sell stolen vehicles to undercover police officers.
Police suggested some safety tips for drivers, such as locking your cars, not leaving your car unattended, not leaving your keys inside your vehicle and paying attention to your surroundings.
“Your car is replaceable, but you’re not,” the Metropolitan Police Department website reads. “Knowing how to respond in a situation may mean the difference between serious injury or death and walking away unscathed.”
If you are carjacked, police said to try to remember what your attacker looked like.
Earlier this month, police passed out auto tracking devices to drivers to help combat the rise of carjackings in the District as part of an initiative launched by Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. police.
