Representative Henry Cuellar (D., Texas) had his car stolen at gunpoint in Washington D.C., on Monday night.
“As Congressman Cuellar was parking his car this evening, 3 armed assailants approached the Congressman and stole his vehicle. Luckily, he was not harmed and is working with local law enforcement. Thank you to Metro PD and Capitol Police for their swift action and for recovering the Congressman’s vehicle,” Cuellar’s chief of staff Jacob Hochberg said in an official statement.
Democratic House Caucus chair Pete Aguilar (D., Calif.) was spotted beside Cuellar at the scene of the crime as the Texas representative was being interviewed by local law enforcement.
“DC’s Metropolitan Police Department is investigating an armed carjacking that happened around 9:30 p.m. in DC’s Navy Yard neighborhood,” Capitol security services confirmed in an official statement. “The victim has been identified as a Member of Congress, so the USCP has investigators working with MPD on this case. Injuries were not reported. Detectives are working to track down the suspects.”
The carjacking, which took place in the Navy Yard district of the capital, comes just weeks after Capitol police held discussions with members of Congress about growing concerns for public safety in the city. In June, aides to Representative Brad Finstad (R., Minn.) were savagely attacked after leaving the Congressional baseball game.
“Following Wednesday’s Congressional Baseball Game for Charity, one of my staffers was attacked outside of his residence by an armed gunman,” Finstad wrote following the attack. “In Washington, D.C. and cities across the country, anti-police, soft-on-crime policies have created lawless societies that endanger the public and empower criminal behavior.”
A similar incident happened to a staffer of Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.) in March. The month before, Representative Angie Craig (D., Minn.) was assaulted by an intoxicated homeless person in the elevator of her apartment.
“We are very grateful that she is safe and recovering, but appalled that this terrifying assault took place.” House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) said following the latter.
Last year, Washington, D.C. experienced over 200 homicides in back-t0-back years, a first in nearly two decades. According to statistics from the Metropolitan Police Department, rates of youth violent crime, sexual abuse, and robbery have increased in recent years.