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ACPD Investigating Midday Carjacking in Crystal City

(Updated at 4 p.m.) Men armed with a gun and a knife carjacked someone this afternoon in Crystal City.

The armed carjacking happened around 1:30 p.m., near the intersection of 15th Street S. and S. Bell Street — a block from the Crystal City Metro station.

“The victim was inside of their vehicle when they were approached by two suspects,” Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Kirby Clark tells ARLnow. “Suspect One displayed a knife and Suspect Two displayed a firearm and forced the victim to exit the vehicle. The suspects then threatened the victim and fled in the vehicle Northbound on Richmond Highway. The vehicle is described as a 2013 BMW X3 with Virginia license plates.”

The investigation is ongoing, Clark said.

This is the tenth carjacking so far this year, according to Clark, amid what police acknowledge has been a marked increase in vehicle-related property crimes, including car break-ins and thefts of idling vehicles. There have also been two attempted carjackings so far this year.

There was one carjacking reported during all of 2019, Clark said.

File photo