Crime & Safety

2 Dead From Jumping in Potomac River Near Key Bridge
Two men died from jumping into the Potomac River Aug. 27. The Metropolitan Police Department identified the men as Calvin Cerpas and Danny Garcia. Both men were 30 and lived in Manassas, Virginia, according to News 4, and had been friends since childhood. One died in the Potomac River and another was taken out of the river to George Washington University Hospital in critical condition and later died. The rescue effort involved D.C. Fire and EMS with four boats and a rescue K-9, the U.S. Park Police helicopter, the MPD and Harbor Patrol.

Apparently, the men went into the river from the ruins of the old Aqueduct Bridge, the predecessor to Key Bridge. The old bridge abutment — just west of the Potomac Boat Club, Key Bridge Boathouse and Key Bridge — is on the banks of the Potomac River.

One man was found around 9:30 p.m., WTOP reported. He was taken to the hospital in very critical condition. Another man was found around 11 p.m. and was pronounced dead at the scene. A woman who knew both men told a News 4 reporter, “They were all hanging out on the Aqueduct Bridge in Georgetown when one of them decided to jump into the river. The other man saw his friend was in trouble in the water so he went to help him.”

Girl Stabs Boy at British School
A 12-year-old daughter of a German diplomat stabbed a 13-year-old fellow student at the British International School of Washington at 2001 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Sept. 5, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Stabbed twice in the back, the boy sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Because of diplomatic immunity, the girl will not be prosecuted. MPD has turned the case over to the State Department.

Mugging at Aqueduct Bridge Ruin
Per MPD, details on an Aug. 27 robbery around 4:30 a.m.: A male and a female were up near the old Aqueduct Bridge, when they were approached by three suspects armed with handguns. The suspects demanded property from the victims, and they complied.  A cell phone and U.S. currency was taken from the man. The woman was struck in the side of her head with the weapon. The suspects fled in a white SUV, last seen traveling eastbound on Water Street.  The female was not seriously injured; she refused medical treatment on the scene.