WASHINGTON – Police are searching for two people on Thursday after an FBI agent was carjacked earlier this week in Washington D.C., as the nation's capital copes with a spike in carjackings.
Investigators are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of the pair accused of stealing the car at gunpoint as the agent exited the vehicle Wednesday afternoon, authorities said. They then drove off in the FBI vehicle.
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It was found less than an hour later, about a mile, or 1.6 kilometers, from the site of the theft. The bureau's Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department’s carjacking task force are investigating.
Carjackings in the nation’s capital have more than doubled this year, and recent victims include a diplomat from the United Arab Emirates and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas. He was carjacked near the Capitol in October by three armed assailants, who stole his car but didn’t physically harm him.
Earlier this month, Secret Service agents protecting President Joe Biden’s granddaughter opened fire after three people tried to break into an unmarked Secret Service vehicle. No one was struck.
Violent crime in Washington has also been on the rise this year, up more than 40% compared with last year.