Arlington County police are on scene of an attempted carjacking in Pentagon City.
The incident happened around 1 p.m., near the intersection of Army Navy Drive and S. Fern Street.
“Preliminary investigation indicates female suspect approached victim and attempted to take her keys,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “A struggle ensued, during which the victim sustained non-life threatening injuries. The suspect fled the scene on foot. Police remain in the area investigating and searching for the suspect.”
There were also initial reports of the suspect grabbing or attempting to abduct a child. Asked about that, Savage said police are still investigating what exactly happened.
The crime scene is near the DEA headquarters and within two blocks of the Pentagon, Pentagon City mall, and Amazon’s under-construction HQ2.
From January 2020 to February 2021, police responded to 13 carjackings in the Crystal City and Pentagon City areas. There have been far fewer carjackings since ACPD deployed more crime prevention resources the area last year — and since D.C. area police departments and prosecutors started coordinating to crack down on such crimes.
Update on 11/22/21: Police have released more information about the incident in a crime report:
ROBBERY, 2021-11190099, 500 block of 12th Road S. At approximately 1:22 p.m. on November 19, police were dispatched to the report of an assault just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined that the female victim and her child were inside a parked vehicle in a parking garage when the female suspect approached and attempted to take her car keys. A struggle ensued, during which the suspect allegedly tried to remove the baby carrier from the vehicle in an effort to steal the vehicle. The suspect fled the scene on foot without any of the victim’s property. Arriving officers established a perimeter and the area was searched with negative results. The child was not injured. The suspect is described as a Black female, approximately 25 to 30 years old, wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. The investigation is ongoing.