U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, was the victim of an armed carjacking Monday night in Washington, D.C., Fox News Digital confirmed.
The longtime Democratic congressman was in the Navy Yard neighborhood when the incident took place at about 9:30 p.m., according to U.S. Capitol Police. The agency, along with Metropolitan Police Department, responded to the scene at New Jersey Avenue and K Street Southeast. The entire block is closed off as police investigate.
Police are searching for three suspects, described as Black men wearing all black clothing, in connection with the carjacking, MPD said in an alert. Cuellar’s stolen vehicle, a white Honda CHR, has since been recovered.
“As Congressman Cuellar was parking his car this evening, 3 armed assailants approached the Congressman and stole his vehicle,” Cuellar’s chief of staff Jacob Hochberg said in a statement. “Luckily, he was not harmed and is working with local law enforcement. Thank you to Metro PD and Capitol Police for their swift action and for recovering the Congressman’s vehicle.”
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U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, was carjacked at gunpoint Monday night in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., was spotted at the location of the crime with Cuellar as Capitol police were processing the scene and taking a statement from Cuellar.
“DC’s Metropolitan Police Department is investigating an armed carjacking that happened around 9:30 p.m. in DC’s Navy Yard neighborhood,” Capitol police said in a statement. “The victim has been identified as a Member of Congress, so the USCP has investigators working with MPD on this case. Injuries were not reported. Detectives are working to track down the suspects.”
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The scene near the Navy Yard neighborhood in Washington, D.C., after U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, was carjacked at gunpoint by three men Monday night. (Fox News/Tyler Olson)
Monday’s incident made Cuellar the second Democrat in Congress to become a victim of crime in the nation’s capital this year. In February, Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig was attacked in an elevator at her apartment building before fighting off her attacker.
The carjacking also comes just two weeks after law enforcement officials held an open forum on Capitol Hill for members of Congress and Capitol Hill staff to discuss public safety in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Cuellar is the second Democrat in Congress to be a victim of a crime in Washington, D.C., this year. Multiple staffers have also been attacked in the nation’s capital in recent months. (Fox News/Tyler Olson)
Multiple congressional staffers have been victims of crime in the district this year, including one of U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad’s staff members who was brutally attacked leaving the Congressional baseball game in June, and a member of Sen. Rand Paul’s staff who was attacked in broad daylight in March.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
