(RepublicanJournal.org) – Washington, DC, has a carjacking problem. In 2023, the numbers doubled from years prior, showcasing the rising violence in the city, despite figures declining across the country. While that nationwide number has declined this year, a recent incident involving the security detail of one of the Supreme Court justices shows it’s still very much an issue in the nation’s capital.
In the early morning hours of Friday, July 5, a US Marshal sitting in an unmarked vehicle outside of Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s home was the victim of a carjacking. He said 18-year-old Kentrell Flowers drove up in a minivan, pulled up next to him, and approached the car. He then aimed his gun at the marshal through the driver’s side window.
The federal enforcement officer grabbed his own gun and shot at the suspect four times, hitting him in the mouth. He performed first aid on the suspect, who was then taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries and later arrested for the incident. To make matters worse, the car Flowers arrived in was also carjacked. In addition to carjacking, the suspect was charged with possession of a large-capacity ammunition-feeding device and carrying a pistol without a license.
Following the incident, the US Marshals Service released a statement saying the federal enforcement officer that was targeted was “part of the unit protecting the residences of U.S. Supreme Court justices.” However, the agency refused to comment on specific security details, citing privacy concerns. The Daily Mail was the first publication to tie the location to Sotomayor’s home. It’s unclear whether she was inside her residence at the time.
On October 2, 2023, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) also became a carjacking victim. He was in the process of parking near his DC home when three men in ski masks approached him with a gun and stole his car. Fortunately, he was unharmed during the incident, and law enforcement eventually retrieved his vehicle.
Copyright 2024, RepublicanJournal.org
