Saturday, October 31, 2009

feedback on 1st St NW home that broken into and the resident who was "bound with wire and tape"

First, see this message from Bloomingdale resident Joe Levesque regarding this recent crime reported on the MPD-5D list:

HORRIBLE CRIME IN BLOOMINGDALE ON 1700 FIRST ST
NW

FIRST STREET NW, 1700 block, 1:25 p.m. Oct. 16.
A man entered a residence and assaulted a person. The person was then bound with wire and tape. The assailant fled with property.

I can't believe that someone in Bloomingdale had to endure being bound with wire and held hostage while a thief steals their belongings. That person must have been deathly frightened not knowing if they would be killed in their own home. Note that this happened around noon time! This same awful scene happened a few years ago on the 2100 block of First St NW. A home owner, a strong 30 yr old male, went into the alley at 8 PM to empty the trash. He was abducted at gun point by 2 men lurking in the alley, taken into his house, and bound and gagged in the kitchen. He had two dogs, one ran upstairs, the other was shot. The assailants started to haul items out the rear door as the owner sat tied on the kitchen floor, wondering if he also would be killed. Neighbors noticed this activity and called 911. Police arrested the scumbags. The two owners said screw this, sold their house and moved to Washington state. They didn't feel safe in their own home anymore. Keep your doors locked at all times and call police if something seems odd.

Now read this feedback from a resident on the unit block of S Street NW:

Just wanted to make a follow-up comment in addition to Mr. Levesque's on the home invasion/robbery. I was shocked that I first read about this in the Bloomingdale email! We get the MPD updates and didn't hear anything - being from a smaller community, an event like this would have been front-page news, followed up with tips on what happened, what the risk factors were, what citizens should be looking out for (suspect, description - where are the "wanted" posters with the suspect's description?), and what you can do to protect yourself - in your own home - at lunch time no less. I'm always shocked these crimes are taking place right next door to us in broad daylight or even at 9 PM when all of our neighbors are home. I realize it's hard to hear through the brick rowhouses and hard to look out if you only have windows in the back, but please take a moment to look out your window if you hear shouting and take a moment to call 911 if you see something suspicious! I sometimes feel I'm completely alone walking down the deserted sidewalk at night, yet I know I'm surrounded by people inside their homes and since everyone's decks and yards are out back, the main streets are devoid of neighborhood "eyes". I'd also like to get more information as soon as possible from our police force on this home invasion, what the risk factors were for this individual and what we need to be looking out for!!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I live on the 1900 block of 1st St. NE (Eckington), and am glad to see this post as I believe very strongly in neighbors keeping an eye out. As an example, on 9/14 or 9/15/09, I heard a loud noise. While I don't recall what type of noise it was, the noise prompted me to open my shades and look outside. When I peered outside I saw a young teenage male, running down my block. I then decided to open my front door to see what was possibley going on. There was a young woman at the end of my block. She appeared distressed so I went up to her and asked if she was okay. She said she had just been mugged. I invited her up to my front porch, I called the cops on my cell, and they came within 1 minute. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO HELP OTHERS IN DISTRESS! (Interestingly, I noticed that when the cops came my neighbors were on their porch and totally ignored the cop cars and us, which I find very strange. I happen not to know those neighbors, and just moved here in June, but c'mon, if I saw cops on the street, I'd inquire. Being a native NYCer I've been through mugging experiences and know that bystanders can be of great help for many reasons!