Crime: Omnibus Crime Bill Up for Vote; Carjacking Victim Mourned in Georgetown
By • February 5, 2024 0 658
Georgetown’s primary legislative crime-fighter – Ward 2 Council member Brooke Pinto, Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety of the D.C. Council – is urging her constituents to support tomorrow’s votes in the D.C. Council on her Secure DC Omnibus crime package, perhaps the most significant crime legislation put forth in the era of D.C. home rule.
Last year, more homicides occurred in the District than in any year since 1997. Seemingly out-of-control carjackings, auto thefts, armed robberies and “organized retail thefts” in the nation’s capital have also made national news headlines repeatedly, with many – mostly Republican – members of Congress challenging the District’s ability to provide public safety in the nation’s capital.
Combining 12 separate crime bills, the omnibus package was voted unanimously out of committee Jan. 17 and, with Mayor Bowser’s full support, is likely to be enacted into District law once amendments are approved and final votes taken. With D.C.’s mounting “crime crisis,” many D.C. Council members who fought to rein in policing powers in 2020 following the George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests are now calling for more concerted crime-fighting measures in their wards.
“On Tuesday, February 6, my Secure DC bill will have its first vote before the full Council,” Pinto said on her website. “In order for Secure DC to have the most meaningful impact on the District to address the unacceptable levels of crime and violence our communities are facing, and to continue to move the bill through the legislative process, Secure DC must be passed by the Council without amendments,” she said.
“District residents deserve the Council’s urgent action to address the public safety challenges the District is experiencing and make our neighborhoods safer and more secure,” Pinto said. “My Secure DC omnibus is the culmination of a robust and thoughtful public engagement process that makes me confident that taken together, the 100-plus interventions and solutions in the bill will make D.C. residents safer by preventing crime, ensuring accountability when crime does occur, and improving government coordination to meet the needs of District residents.”
The omnibus bill will include provisions increasing penalties for gun possession, expanding pretrial detention for youths, incarcerating more adults before trial, loosening police oversight, allowing police to create drug-free zones, changing the composition of D.C.’s sentencing panel and requiring more crime-fighting participation of city agencies.
For The Georgetowner’s in-depth reporting on the Secure DC Omnibus package go here.
Former D.C. Election Official Dies after Carjacking ‘Rampage’ on K Street
A former D.C. election official was “shot and critically wounded” Monday evening Jan. 29 on the 900 block of K St. NW during an “hours-long crime rampage in the District and Maryland,” the Washington Post reported. The victim, Michael “Mike” Gill, 56, died Saturday Feb. 3 of his wounds, the second victim to die from the crime spree.
Early on the evening of Jan. 29, Gill had parked his Jeep in front of his wife Kristina Gill’s office near Mount Vernon Square, called her to say he had arrived, and waited to pick her up from work. But then, a “man climbed into his Jeep and shot him,” the Post reported. Kristina Gill reportedly found her husband on the sidewalk, “his head resting in a halo of blood, one foot still inside the Jeep, [before] he was taken to a hospital in critical condition.”
According to MPD, the perpetrator of the carjacking and shooting of Gill was Artell Cunningham, 28, of Suitland, Md. Police believe he might have been suffering from a psychiatric crisis. According to the Post, “from Monday evening to Tuesday morning, in addition to attacking Gill, Cunningham committed or tried to commit at least four carjackings and fired shots at two police vehicles.” The first man killed in the shootings was identified by police as Alberto Vasquez Jr., 35, who was also fatally shot in a carjacking.
In Georgetown, Michael “Mike” Gill was mourned in intercessional prayers during Saturday evening’s Mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church where he served as a member of the church’s parish council. A senior vice president of the Housing Policy Council, Gill and his wife Kristina had three children. A St. Louis native, he was a graduate of the University of Dayton, and the former coach of his daughter’s youth soccer team. “Known for his Midwest charm, Gill also worked on Capitol Hill and served three terms as an appointee to the D.C. Board of Elections,” Kristina Gill said in a statement. Michael Gill’s “unwavering sense of fairness” found a home on the board, she said. “He didn’t shy away from difficult policy problems and brought warmth and humor to every discussion.”
Per the D.C. Board of Elections, Gill, “was dedicated… to ensur[ing] that our elections are open and fair,” and he contributed to that mission in hundreds of meetings, events, and interactions over his seven years on the Board,” the Post reported. Described as “self-effacing,” devoted to his work and community, genial, good-natured, smart, outgoing and witty, Gill was perceived by friends and family as someone who “brought people across the political spectrum together.” He also served under both Presidents Obama and Trump on the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Suspected Attacker of Georgetown Rabbi Arrested in Rideshare Case
In our last crime report, we described “disturbing news” of a purported battery against a “prominent young” Rabbi, Menachem Shemtov, 29, who called police to claim he had been “violently attacked” by a Lyft driver “as he was returning – still in his rabbinical garb – to his Georgetown home from a Chabad center in Adams Morgan where he was performing morning prayers on Sunday Jan. 28.”
Now comes news from MPD’s Second and Fifth Districts of the arrest of “a man for a burglary and an assault” in the case. Per their report, “On Sunday, January 28, 2024, at approximately 10:17 a.m., the victim was picked up by the suspect, who is a ride-share driver, in the 1800 block of Connecticut Avenue, NW. During the ride, the victim requested the suspect to lower the volume on the radio. The suspect canceled the ride, and the victim exited the vehicle. The suspect followed the victim on foot and assaulted the victim. The suspect [then] fled the scene. On Wednesday, January 31, 2024, 32-year-old Tireek Myrick of Northwest, D.C., was arrested and charged with Simple Assault.” MPD announced the case is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
But, that’s not all for suspect Myrick. According to the report, he is also being “charged with the below offense:”
Burglary One: On Saturday, January 13, 2024, at approximately 12:17 pm, the suspect went to the Unit block of R Street, Northeast in response to the victims’ request to deliver food. The suspect failed to deliver the food and the victims canceled their order. A short time later, the suspect returned to the victim’s home yelling and banging on the door demanding money from the victims. When the victims did not open the door the suspect kicked in the door, demanded money from the victims, and took property. The suspect fled the scene.
Choose those Lyft drivers carefully!
Weekly Firearm Recoveries
On Feb. 2, MPD released its “Weekly Firearm Recoveries” report for Jan. 22 – 29. According to the report, MPD took 52 firearms off the streets of the District. Of the 52 arrestees listed in the report, 12 (or 23 percent) were age 21-or-younger. Among the youth arrestees, one 16-year-old male juvenile was arrested and charged for unlawful possession of a “Smith & Wesson SD-40 .40 caliber handgun” recovered in the 5000 block of 38th Street, NW.
Local Reports
On Feb. 4, MPD’s Carjacking Task Force requested public assistance in “identifying and locating a suspect and a vehicle in connection to a carjacking, robbery and kidnapping in the 400 block of K St. NW.” On Jan. 9, at “approximately 7:34 p.m.,” the “suspect swerved their car in front of the victim’s car, causing him to stop,” the report said. “The suspect [then] exited and approached the victim, who was still seated in the vehicle. After the victim rolled down their window, the suspect snatched the victim’s phone and assaulted him. The suspect then made the victim get into the passenger seat and… drove the victim to an ATM to withdraw money. The suspect then drove the victim to an unknown location and dropped him off [then] fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle. The suspects and the suspects’ vehicle were captured by surveillance cameras and can be seen in the photos below:”
On Feb. 4, detectives from MPD’s Third District announced an arrest in reference to a “stabbing offense that occurred in the 2000 block of 18th Street, NW.” At “approximately 2:36 a.m,” on Feb. 3, Third District officers responded to a report of a “stabbing” at the location. “Upon arrival, officers located an adult male suffering from a stab wound. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The suspect was apprehended. The responding officers arrested 33-year-old Leon Theodore Taylor of Northeast, DC, and charged him with Assault with Intent to Kill,” the report said.
On Feb. 2, MPD announced recent arrests in “Robbery Offenses” in Northwest, D.C. On Jan. 26, a 14-year-old juvenile male, of Northwest, D.C., was arrested for “Robbery and Possession of a Prohibited Weapon offenses” that occurred in the 1300 block of Clifton Street, Northwest.
On Feb. 2, detectives from MPD’s Fourth and Sixth Districts requested public assistance in “locating a vehicle involved in two thefts and an armed robbery” Feb. 2. At “approximately 10:08 a.m.,” the report said, “the suspects approached the occupants of a delivery truck in the 5300 block of East Capitol Street, Southeast. One of the suspects brandished a box cutter while the other suspect made a motion towards his waistband as if he had a weapon. The suspects [then] took liquor bottles from the delivery truck fled the scene in a vehicle. Then, “at approximately 12:09 p.m.,” the suspects approached a delivery truck in the 7300 block of Georgia Avenue, Northwest. The suspects [then] entered the truck and took liquor bottles from the delivery truck, and fled the scene in a vehicle.”
Only 7 minutes later, the same suspects “approached a delivery truck in the 7800 block of Alaska Avenue, Northwest.” Then “entered the truck and took liquor bottles from the delivery truck, and fled the scene in a vehicle.” The suspect’s vehicle, “described as a gray Volvo, was captured by surveillance cameras, and can be seen in the photos below:”
On Feb. 1, detectives from MPD’s Youth and Family Services Division’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit and Special Agents from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Chile Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force announced an arrest in reference to “possession of material constituting child pornography” that occurred in 4300 block of Georgia Avenue, NW. In October 2021, the “suspect was found to be in possession of material constituting child pornography,” the report said. On Feb.1, “pursuant to a US District Court arrest warrant, 46-year-old Ali Monsoor, of Northwest, D.C., was arrested and charged with “Activity Relating to Material Constituting/Containing Child Pornography.”
On Jan. 31, detectives from MPD’s Second District requested public assistance in locating suspects that “burglarized a business in Northwest.” On Jan. 23, at “approximately 5:40 p.m., two suspects forcibly entered a business in the 1000 block of 31st Street, Northwest,” the report said. “Once inside, [they] took merchandise and fled the scene.” The suspects were captured by surveillance cameras and can be seen in this video: https://youtu.be/Bb2Xy4hXR1I
On Jan. 31, detectives from the MPD’s Third District announced a juvenile male was arrested for “residential burglaries that occurred in the 1400 block of 3rd Street, NW.” On Jan. 28, at “approximately 7:55 a.m., the suspect forcibly entered an occupied residence,” the report said. “When the victim approached him, the suspect threatened the victim and the victim fled to a room. The suspect [then] fled the scene. It was later learned by detectives that the suspect had also forcibly entered an adjacent unoccupied residence prior to entering the victim’s residence. On Sunday, January 28, 2024, a 16-year-old juvenile male, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with Burglary One and Burglary Two.”
Also on Jan. 31, detectives from MPD’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) Investigations Unit, which includes agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, requested public assistance in “locating a suspect involved in a Northwest, D.C. shooting.” On Jan. 30, at “approximately 4:01 p.m.,” officers responded to the intersection of Q Street and Connecticut Avenue, Northwest, for the report of a shooting,” the report said. “Upon arrival, officers located an adult male victim, inside a vehicle, suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries.The suspect’s vehicle was captured by a surveillance camera and can be seen in the photos below:”
On Jan. 31, officers from the MPD’s Fifth District announced that “two teenagers who went on a carjacking spree in the Fourth and Fifth Districts, and their accomplice” have been “arrested by a neighboring jurisdiction.” The “carjacking spree” is described as follows in the report:
- At approximately 6:50 p.m. on Monday, January 29, 2024, the first victim was exiting her vehicle in the 1200 block of Hamlin Street, Northeast, when three suspects surrounded her and demanded her keys. The victim fled before the suspects could obtain her vehicle.
- At approximately 9:00 p.m. on Monday, January 29, 2024, the second victim was loading groceries into her vehicle in the 3800 block of Georgia Avenue, Northwest, when three suspects surrounded her and demanded her keys. The victim complied, and the suspects fled in her vehicle.
- At approximately 9:40 p.m. on Monday, January 29, 2024, the third victim was entering her vehicle in the 1200 block of Otis Street, Northeast, when three suspects blocked her vehicle with the second victim’s vehicle. The suspects then assaulted the victim and stole her vehicle.
On Jan. 29, the “Fifth District Crime Suppression Team (CST) recovered the second victim’s vehicle and apprehended two of the three suspects,” the report continued. “The third suspect fled into Maryland, where he was apprehended by Mount Ranier police officers.” On Jan. 29, “two 17-year-old juvenile males, both of Northeast, D.C., were arrested and charged with Unarmed Carjacking. The third suspect was placed under arrest by the Mount Ranier Police Department.”
On Jan. 30, detectives from MPD’s Third District announced the arrest of “a teenager who robbed a man and a woman at gunpoint in the 1800 block of Vermont Avenue, Northwest.” On Jan. 27, at “approximately 8:45 pm.,” the suspects approached a man and a woman as they walked down the street at the listed location,” the report said. “One of the suspects brandished a handgun and demanded property from the victims. The victims complied. The suspects fled the scene. A 14-year-old juvenile male of Northwest, DC was arrested and charged with Armed Robbery (Gun). He was also charged, pursuant to a DC Superior Court custody order, for the below offense,” the report said.
- On Wednesday, December 20, 2023, at approximately 3:15 p.m., the suspects approached the victims in the 1300 block of Florida Avenue, Northwest. One of the suspects had his hands in his pocket as if he were armed and took property from one of the victims. The suspects then fled the scene.
On Jan. 29, detectives from MPD’s Homicide Branch requested public assistance in “locating a suspect involved in a Northwest D.C. shooting.” At approximately 5:48 p.m. on the 29th, “officers responded to the 900 block of New York Avenue, NW, for the report of an unconscious person,” the report said. “Upon arrival, officers located an adult male suffering from a gunshot wound injury. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries. Detectives’ investigation revealed that the offense occurred in the 900 block of K Street, NW. The suspect was captured by a surveillance camera and can be seen in the photos below:”
On Jan. 29, officers from MPD’s Second District announced the arrest of “a man for a robbery” in the 5000 block of Wisconsin Ave. NW. On Jan. 28, at “approximately 1:05 p.m.,” the report said, “the victim was robbed” at the location. However, the “victim was able to provide a thorough description of the suspect and officers located the suspect nearby. The suspect was [then] arrested, and the victim got his property back. At the time of arrest, the suspect was in possession of a stolen firearm. 24-year-old Marcus Keller, of Baltimore, Md., was arrested and charged with Robbery, Receiving Stolen Property, Possession of an Unregistered Firearm, and four other firearms-related charges.”
On Jan. 27, detectives from MPD’s Fourth District requested public assistance to “identify suspects who robbed a woman in the 600 block of Kenyon St. NW.” On Jan. 24, at “approximately 11:30 p.m.,” the report said, “the victim was walking in an alley after parking her vehicle at the listed location. Two suspects approached [her] displaying firearms while demanding property. The victim complied. The suspects [then] fled the scene in a vehicle. The suspects were captured by a surveillance camera and can be seen in this video and photos below:
On Jan. 31, detectives from MPD’s Second District requested public assistance in “locating suspects [who] burglarized a business in Northwest.” On Jan. 23, at “approximately 5:40 a.m.,” the report said, “two suspects forcibly entered a business in the 1000 block of 31st Street, NW. Once inside, the suspects took merchandise then fled the scene. The suspects were captured by surveillance cameras and can be seen in this video: https://youtu.be/Bb2Xy4hXR1I
