DC Council Candidate Demands Public Policing After Carjacking

Nate Fleming, a Democrat attorney, running for the Washington D.C. City Council, led the cry for more community policing after he said he was carjacked in broad daylight around 1:30 p.m. at a gas station in the 4200 block of Nannie Helens Burroughs Avenue, NE, on Saturday. 

Snippets of the surveillance video were released Tuesday by the D.C Metro Police Department. Four suspects wearing masks were shown on the video. The crime shines a light on a new trend of young offenders committing violent crimes. Flemming called on the community to help tackle the problem. 

A link to the police video was tweeted by Fleming claiming to be the victim in the footage. In the video, four masked individuals jump out of a red SUV. According to a statement he released, the carjackers pointed a gun at Flemming, while demanding his keys. After turning over his keys, the suspects drove off. 

One of the suspects is seen on video running into the gas station convenience store. Anyone who can identify the suspects is asked to call D.C. Police at 202-727-9099 or text 50411. 

“I’m shocked, angry, and a bit embarrassed, Fleming said in a Twitter statement he posted on the site. “To be threatened at gunpoint is shocking, but I am not surprised to have been attacked given the crisis we are facing with carjackings and violence in general in our city. Increasing public safety is the heart of why I’m running for a citywide council seat.”

“These carjackings are evidence that the perpetrators of violent crimes are getting younger and younger,” the candidate added. “We must attack public safety as a short-term issue, but we must recognize that violence is a symptom of long-term issues like educational inequality, lack of economic opportunity, and the lack of mental health care resources in our community.” 

“We must also commit ourselves to ensuring there is strong relationship-based policing in our communities,” Fleming said. “The police responded to this incident quickly and professionally, but we must put our force in position to be more preventative of these types of crimes through stronger community-based policing.” 

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Flemming claimed his campaign has a plan in place to increase public safety by expanding the summer youth employment program to a year-round program for thousands of D.C. teenagers, investing $20 million into a young adult employment program aimed at unemployed adults ages 10 to 30. An innovative program called “universal afterschool” meant to ensure all students have access to quality after-school programs “regardless of the ability or inability to pay.”