Julia Eisen – WMAL News | December 11, 2023
The U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against a group of teenagers for committing a series of armed carjackings in the nation’s capital.
Matthew Graves, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, says that the 10 charged teenagers have been linked to more than 15 armed carjackings in D.C. and in surrounding Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties.
The DOJ is calling for the teens to be charged as an adult due to the violent nature of these serious crimes.
“We need to have a serious response to let people know that this is not a game. This is a real-world and there will be real-world consequences,” said Graves.
The average sentence for one armed carjacking is 15 years, according to Graves.
This comes as Graves’ office has been under fire for not prosecuting 67 percent of violent crimes in the city. Graves pointed to changes the council made.
“D.C. law has effectively eliminated the mandatory minimum for armed carjackings,” Graves said during a Monday press conference.
The number of carjackings in DC has more than doubled this year to over 900.
WMAL News Correspondent Barbara Britt contributed to this report.
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