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WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, experienced a terrifying carjacking incident at gunpoint near his Washington residence on Monday night, as confirmed by his chief of staff.
During the incident, three armed robbers wearing knit caps and ski masks stole Cuellar’s car, a white Toyota crossover, while he was parking, stated Jacob Hochberg, Cuellar’s chief of staff. Fortunately, Cuellar remained unharmed, and law enforcement was able to recover the stolen vehicle.
Hochberg expressed gratitude to the Metro PD and Capitol Police for their swift response and successful recovery of the Congressman’s car.
The U.S. Capitol Police, in collaboration with the city’s Metropolitan Police Department, is currently investigating the case. The USCP spokesperson has confirmed that efforts are underway to locate the suspects.
In addition to the car, law enforcement also retrieved Cuellar’s electronics and other valuable possessions left inside, including his cell phone. Cuellar also mentioned that he had a sushi dinner from a nearby Whole Foods stored in the car at the time.
Cuellar jokingly remarked to CNN, “What really got me upset was they took my sushi, but anyway, that’s something else.” He later informed the Dallas Morning News that the police were able to recover his sushi as well.
The incident occurred in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, which is a popular area for congressional pied-a-terres and is located just blocks south of the Capitol.
Crime rates in Washington have been a growing concern since the pandemic, with carjackings in the area seeing a significant rise in recent years. According to a Washington Post analysis, the number of carjackings in the District and its inner-ring suburbs increased from around 200 in 2018 to over 1,000 in 2022.
The surge in crime has been a rallying point for conservative members of Congress, who opposed a city-led revision of Washington’s criminal code earlier this year. The proposed changes aimed to eliminate minimum sentences and reduce maximum penalties for various crimes, including carjacking.
The revised criminal code faced opposition from Republicans and many Democrats in Congress, who exercised their rarely used veto power on District affairs to block the proposal. They argued that it was too lenient on criminals. Cuellar, in line with the majority, voted against relaxing the penalties. Ultimately, President Joe Biden allowed the revised code to expire.
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