After two suspects engaged in a six-hour crime spree on Saturday, an arrest in northeast Washington could be the break for which Alexandria police had hoped. The two suspects, who were arrested Monday in D.C., will be extradited to Alexandria, where they will face prosecution for targeting pizza delivery men for robbery and carjacking.
On Saturday, two men in ski masks and black jackets attempted to rob pizza delivery men at 2:45 p.m., 7 p.m., 8:18 p.m. and 8:27 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. Each incident took place in Alexandria's west end. Two of the robberies ended in a carjacking, and the suspects absconded a 2005 Ford Focus and a 1998 Honda Civic.
On Monday morning, city detectives got a call from the District of Columbia, where two suspects had been arrested driving a stolen Mazda with Texas plates. The car was pulled over at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Monday in northeast D.C. by members of the Washington Area Vehicle Enforcement Unit, a multi-agency team that consists of members of Prince George's County, Montgomery County, Maryland State Police and U.S. Marshals. The federally deputized agents took the suspects to police headquarters in D.C., where they were questioned for approximately three hours.
"One of the suspects was in possession of stolen Honda keys," said D.C. Police Sgt. Timothy Cortright, who supervises the WAVE unit. The Honda had been stolen from a pizza delivery man in the 5500 block of Ascot Court in Alexandria, and the events between Saturday's spree and Monday's arrest began to unfold under Cortright's questioning. "When questioned, both of the suspects implicated themselves in the Alexandria crimes."
After the WAVE unit contacted the Alexandria Police Department, two Alexandria detectives arrived in D.C. to question the suspects. Shortly afterward, a city magistrate issued an arrest warrant for the two individuals, each of whom were charged with one robbery and one carjacking.
"We are confident that these two individuals are guilty of the crimes targeting pizza delivery men this weekend," said Capt. John Crawford, commander of Alexandria Police Department's Public Information Office. "Within 48 hours of the crime, two very dangerous criminals were taken off the street thanks to the critical assistance of the WAVE team."
Although the suspects are accused of property crimes in D.C., they will first face prosecution in Alexandria because of the severity of those charges. According to Cortright, the suspects could face 20 to 30 years of prison if convicted of last weekend's crimes against pizza delivery men.
"We believe that all the crimes targeting pizza delivery men last weekend are interconnected," said Capt. Crawford, noting that the warrant covered only one of the five incidents that were reported. "They will be facing other felony charges."