A 12-year-old boy from Washington, DC, has been arrested after attempting four armed carjackings in the space of just under an hour.
The first incident occurred at around 6:30pm on Thursday, when two people approached a person sitting in their vehicle, took out a handgun and demanded the driver leave the car, according to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Although the suspects were armed, the driver “did not comply and fled the scene,” the department said in a statement on Friday.
Just 46 minutes later, the two suspects approached another individual sitting in their vehicle just a few blocks away from the initial carjacking attempt.
Once again, the two suspects brandished a firearm and demanded that the driver leave their car. The driver did not comply with the demand and fled the scene.
The suspects attempted a carjacking for the third time about five minutes later, at 7:20pm, but the driver fled the scene on foot with his vehicle’s keys in his hands.
Just four minutes later, at 7:24pm, the “suspects approached the [last] victim, who was seated in their vehicle, in the 1000 block of Evarts Street, Northeast,” according to the MPD.
“One of the suspects brandished a handgun and demanded the victim exit her vehicle. The victim complied and the suspects fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle,”the department added.
However, the authorities were notified of the successful carjacking and one of the victims was apprehended alongside the vehicle shortly after.
The MPD confirmed that the suspect arrested was a 12-year-old boy from the Southeast, DC, area, who has subsequently been charged with four counts of armed carjacking.
The second suspect in the carjackings was captured on surveillance footage during the incidents, but has not yet been found by the police.
The MPD has offered a reward of up to $10,000 (£7,225) for any information that leads to the arrest of the second suspect, as the department continues its investigation.
