Crime

Baby Found Safe in D.C. After PG Carjacking, Suspects Still At Large

THE AFRO — A carjacking inadvertently turned into a kidnapping but led to a happy ending- a saga that began in Prince George’s County and concluded in D.C.

Published

5 years ago

March 3, 2019

Oakland Post

By Mark F. Gray

A carjacking inadvertently turned into a kidnapping but led to a happy ending- a saga that began in Prince George’s County and concluded in D.C.

Prince George’s County Police are still investigating the incident that started at a Valero Gas Station on Martin Luther King Jr. Highway in Seat Pleasant on the DC/MD border. According to police reports, an unidentified assailant stole a 2013 Chevrolet Traverse while the woman was pumping gas with her child in the car Feb. 26.

Primary investigators have surmised the suspects jumped into the vehicle awhile the mother was pumping gas, and mistakenly drove off with the child inside, according to Seat Pleasant Police Chief Devan Martin.

Just after getting the frantic 911 call and starting the Amber Alert procedure, Martin said another driver spotted the baby during his press briefing outside the gas station. The unharmed child had been placed on the side of the road, in her car seat, on E Street between 56^th and 57^th streets in Southeast, D.C.

“We have come from terrible circumstances to triumph,” said Seat Pleasant Police Chief Devan Martin. “The baby has been located. The baby is safe.”

Though it’s not known exactly how long the baby girl was in the car with the unknown suspect she was taken to a local hospital to be examined and was ultimately released.

Local broadcast media reports gained access to a surveillance video from the gas station. WJLA-TV in Washington learned the mother went inside the gas station to purchase candy for the child while the pump was active which provided the opportunity for carjacking and abduction.

When the suspects ultimately recognized they had stolen an occupied vehicle, they dropped off the child in front of Dunn & Sons Funeral Home on Eads Street in Northeast, D.C. funeral and continued their escape. Two women inside the building noticed the car seat outside the building. They secured the child and notified authorities she was safe before relinquishing her to them. The baby girl was reportedly in custody of the people at the funeral home for approximately 30 minutes.

Seat Pleasant Police are still actively searching for the stolen vehicle: a 2013 Chevrolet Traverse, dark in color, with Maryland Tag 4CM8301. Anyone who has seen that SUV or has information on the whereabouts of the two people who stole it is urged to contact Seat Pleasant Police.

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

6 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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California Black Media

Anti-Theft Bill with Jail-Time Requirement Gets Wide Ranging Support

Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24. Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.

Published

1 week ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

San Bernardino Police Chief Darren Goodman speaks as Asm. James Ramos (D-San Bernardino), left, stands beside him at a news conference in Sacramento concerning retail theft across the state.

By California Black Media

Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24.

Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.

Co-authored by Assemblymembers James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino), Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) and Devon Mathis (R-Tulare), AB 1772 would require jail time “of one to three years for theft crimes depending upon the circumstances.

“Offenses would include grand theft, theft from an elder or dependent adult, theft or unauthorized use of a vehicle, burglary, carjacking, robbery, receiving stolen property, shoplifting or mail theft,” the bill language reads.

Ramos said the need to act is urgent.

“It’s time for us to reverse the spikes in theft crimes since the pandemic. Our law enforcement members and district attorneys need additional tools such as AB 1772. We must reverse the trend before the problem grows worse. Last year I requested a state audit of the impact of Prop 47 on Riverside and San Bernardino counties,” said Ramos.

Prop 47 is the California initiative, approved by voters in 2014, that reclassified some felonies to misdemeanors and raised the minimum amount for most misdemeanor thefts from $400 to $950.

According to a Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) report, the rate of occurrence of petty crimes like shoplifting and commercial burglaries have increased by double digits over the last four years.

In Orange County alone, commercial burglaries have spiked by 54%.

“Our communities are experiencing an increase in retail crime and deserve appropriate action from their legislators,” Valencia said.

San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus thanked Ramos.

“This bill, designed to impose stricter penalties on serial retail theft suspects, responds urgently to the escalating consequences of shoplifting and related crimes on our communities,” he said.

AB 1772 supporters who spoke at the gathering included Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper and San Bernardino Chief of Police Darren Goodman. Listed as supporters are the California State Sheriff’s Association, City of Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez and Redlands Chamber of Commerce.