WASHINGTON — Someone stole a woman’s car with her dog inside of it just an hour before two suspects shot a Washington Commanders player nearby on H Street in Northeast, D.C.
Around 4:30 p.m., Prince George’s County resident Julia Salsich said she got out of her running gray Honda Accord to drop something off on the 1300 block of H Street when a man hopped into it.
“I pulled up, I parked, I put my flashers on and I just jumped out really quickly,” she said.” The person was standing out on the street. I jumped out really quickly and by the time I turned around, my car was being taken.”
A DC Police incident report states the man then drove off in her car, eastbound toward Benning Road NE, with her 6-year-old white and grey Yorkie named Franklin.
“As soon as I saw that the car was being driven off, I started chasing after [it] and just screaming, ‘can you please just throw my dog out the window?’, because I was hoping that maybe he wouldn't want to have to deal with the dog and that was because that was ultimately all I cared about. I didn't care if he drove off with the car. I just cared that he was taking Franklin away."
Police said the incident happened just three blocks away from where two juvenile suspects allegedly shot Commanders rookie Brian Robinson during an attempted carjacking. He has non-life-threatening injuries.
At this point, DC Police said they do not believe the two incidents were connected. However, those just happened to be two of three noteworthy crimes to happen along that popular DC entertainment district within a 24-hour span of time.
DC Police said around, 12:08 am, Sunday, someone also shot a man on the same block where Salsich’s car and dog were taken. The man is expected to survive. DC Police said a white Toyota Camry is a vehicle of interest in that case.
Meanwhile, Salsich remains hopeful someone will return her dog to her family as soon as possible. She said she did not get a glimpse of the person who took her car. However, Salsich said others around her said he was an adult man.
“I just want you to know that Franklin is really, really loved and really missed,” she said. “And, he is a part of our family.”
Salsich did say they have gotten at least one good lead to his possible whereabouts.
“I got an alert from my bank that [the suspect] used one of my credit cards at the McDonald's that is on Nannie Helen Burroughs Boulevard NE,” she said. “And, so we went over there and we talked to the to the person that was working in the drive-thru and he remembers seeing the guy. And, he remembers seeing Franklin on the front seat of my car.”
DC Police data shows total crime is down within a 500-foot radius, or two-football-field length area, of where Franklin was taken. However, car thefts have been up this year around that location.
There have been 15 cars stolen, so far, in that radius, according to police. While there were 11 cars stolen in that radius at this same time last year.
Anyone with information as to where Franklin may be is asked to contact Julia at jcsalsich@gmail.com.