(RepublicanJournal.org) – Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) became the latest member of Congress to fall victim to the increasing violence in Washington, DC. The Texas lawmaker reportedly encountered three men, at least one armed with a gun, who forcibly stole his car. Capitol Police (CP) are currently investigating the incident.
The alleged carjacking occurred on Monday, October 2, at 9:32 p.m. Cuellar was at the intersection of K Street, SE, and New Jersey when the thieves struck. No one was injured, but the suspects successfully took off with the lawmaker’s vehicle. DC Metropolitan Police were initially on scene, but the CP came on board, with Metro assisting, once officials learned a member of Congress had been involved. The suspects remain at large.
Violent crime has become an epidemic in Washington, DC. Gunfire is common in some areas, according to Axios, and the district has reported 212 homicides in this past year alone. DC’s crime map shows much of the region has issues, with mostly only parts of the upper west side, which are much more affluent, being spared of regular events. Still, even DC’s more upscale areas have recorded increases in carjackings, with Ward 3, just west of Chinatown, noting 48 more occurrences than the previous year.
Cuellar is just one of multiple Capitol Hill employees who’ve experienced DC’s violence firsthand. Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) was attacked in her apartment building in February while using the elevator. Several staffers have also reported violent incidents, one of which occurred in broad daylight.
Cuellar has been among the minority of Democrats who’ve been openly critical of President Joe Biden’s immigration and border policies. The lawmaker represents Texans between San Antonio and the Rio Grande, so he understands the crisis firsthand. He believes there must be a happy medium between the current administration’s lax approach and the previous one’s, which Cuellar feels went too far in its decision to separate families.
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