Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar experienced an armed carjacking in Washington DC on Monday evening. Authorities are currently searching for three individuals believed to be responsible for this incident.
According to a statement issued by Mr. Cuellar’s office, the congressman encountered the three suspects, whose identities remain unknown, at approximately 9:32 PM on Monday night. Reportedly, the group brandished a firearm, threatened Mr. Cuellar, and subsequently fled with his vehicle, phone, iPad, and a meal of sushi. Fortunately, Mr. Cuellar emerged from the encounter unscathed.
“As Congressman Cuellar was parking his car this evening, 3 armed assailants approached the Congressman and stole his vehicle. 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.”
An announcement from the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency reported that the carjacking occurred at the junction of K Street and New Jersey Avenue within the Navy Yard neighborhood of Southeast DC.
Following this incident, an effort was initiated to locate three male individuals suspected to be involved and retrieve the stolen vehicle, as stated in the alert.
Subsequently, law enforcement successfully located and recovered Mr. Cuellar’s stolen vehicle, according to information provided by his office.
This occurrence transpired amid a backdrop of increasing violence and menacing actions directed towards lawmakers, occurring just two years following the successful infiltration of the US Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump during the January 6 riot.
In May, a 19-year-old individual, carrying a Nazi flag, deliberately crashed a U-haul truck into security barriers in proximity to the White House. Subsequently, this individual made menacing remarks concerning the residence of President Joe Biden.
The suspect in this case, identified as Sai Varshith Kandula, was apprehended and faced charges related to threats against the President, Vice President Kamala Harris, or any of their family members with intent to cause harm or death.
In February, Democratic Representative Angie Craig encountered an assault incident inside the elevator of her Washington DC apartment building. Fortunately, the Minnesota legislator managed to avoid significant injuries.
The suspect involved in this case, Kendrid Khalil Hamlin, later pleaded guilty to charges related to assaulting a member of Congress and assaulting law enforcement officers in June.
This event occurred in the wake of another incident where Paul Pelosi, the spouse of the then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was subjected to a violent assault involving a hammer at their residence in California.
David DePape, a 42-year-old artisan specializing in hemp jewelry, allegedly unlawfully entered the San Francisco residence of the couple during the early hours of the morning, purportedly in search of Ms. Pelosi. In this unfortunate incident, he reportedly used a hammer to assault 82-year-old Paul Pelosi.
Statistics from the Capitol Police indicate that the agency examined approximately 7,500 cases involving potential threats against members of Congress in the year 2022. While this figure is lower than the 9,600 threats recorded in 2021, it represents twice the number of cases compared to 2017.
Regarding Monday’s carjacking incident involving Mr. Cuellar, it remains uncertain whether he was specifically targeted or if the carjackers were aware of the identity of their victim prior to the attack.
