Police said a second suspect remained at large after the early Wednesday incident.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A 13-year-old boy was arrested after an armed carjacking early Wednesday in Northeast Washington led to a police chase, a wooded search in Southeast and an officer firing at a suspect, police said.
The Metropolitan Police Department said the case began at about 1:20 a.m. June 24 in the 700 block of 19th Street NE. Police said two suspects approached a driver outside, and one pointed a rifle while demanding the keys to a gray 2026 Honda Civic. The driver was not hurt. The case now includes an armed carjacking charge, a police use-of-force review and a search for the second suspect.
Police said officers sent out a citywide radio broadcast with a description of the suspects and the stolen car. At about 1:54 a.m., Seventh District officers found the Honda traveling on Valley Avenue SE toward 9th Street SE. Officers tried to stop it, but the driver fled, police said. The chase ended near 2nd and Xenia streets SE, where the suspects left the car and ran into the wooded area of Oxon Run Trail. The victim later told reporters he handed over the keys after seeing the rifle. “I got robbed by babies,” he said.
Officers set up a perimeter and searched the area. At about 2:02 a.m., police said, an officer driving a marked cruiser along the 4000 block of Livingston Road SE saw one suspect come out of the tree line. Police said the officer ordered the suspect to show his hands. The suspect did not comply and raised a rifle toward the officer, police said. The officer, still seated in the cruiser, fired his service pistol. Police said the suspect ran back into the woods. No injuries or property damage were reported, and the officer was not hurt.
At about 2:13 a.m., police arrested a 13-year-old boy from Southeast Washington near the area where the stolen Honda had stopped. Police charged him with armed carjacking, reckless driving and fleeing from a law enforcement officer. Authorities did not release his name because he is a juvenile. Police said the armed carjacking remains under investigation. The second suspect had not been found, and police had not announced the recovery of the rifle.
The officer who fired was placed on administrative leave under department policy. MPD said its Internal Affairs Bureau Force Investigations Team is reviewing the shooting. The department said the U.S. Attorney’s Office will independently review the facts and evidence. Body-worn camera video is expected to be handled under District law governing release after police shootings. Police listed the case number as CCN 26086942.
The stolen car was later returned to the victim, who said the vehicle was damaged. The victim said he was still with police when detectives told him they believed they had found his car and needed him to identify someone. He said the suspects appeared very young and that he gave up the keys before the confrontation could get worse. Police said the original victim fled the scene unharmed after the keys were taken.
MPD’s carjacking dashboard showed 59 carjackings in the city so far this year, down 64% from the same point last year. Police data showed weapons were used in 31 of those cases. Twelve juveniles had been arrested in carjacking cases, with the youngest listed as 13.
The case remained open Friday, with one juvenile charged and a second suspect still being sought. The officer-involved shooting review and the armed carjacking investigation were both ongoing.
Author note: Last updated June 26, 2026.