Multiple Car Crashes at 13th and Girard Streets, NW on Nov. 13th
24 November 2009 9:33 AM | By Prince Of Petworth in Crime - Stories, History, Neighborhoods - Columbia HeightsJust saw this from MPD:
“On November 13, 2009, at approximately 2200 hours, an accident occurred at 13th & Girard Streets, NW. The driver in this case struck a total of 6 cars, including four parked cars and two that were occupied. The driver of the striking vehicle suffered a broken leg and one other person was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. It was discovered that the striking vehicle was stolen and the driver of that vehicle, a 15-year old male, was apprehended and placed under arrest for a number of felony and traffic charges.
The officers handling the scene were Third District Officers Jonathan Amigo, Thomas Dunn, Jesus Perez, Jared Rothman, William Hamm, and MPO Darryl Arrington.”
These incidents sadly seem to be relatively common on 13th Street.
On a related note when I did a quick search of 13th and Girard I found this great historical photo from Flickr User rockcreek:
He writes:
“A slightly blurry shot of the Army and Navy Academy – a prep school – at 13th and Girard (then Princeton) Streets, NW. From A Statement of Some of Advantages of Beautiful Columbia Heights (1904).”
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24 November 2009 9:50 AM | enus gobunger Said:
hopefully they’ll permanently break the thief’s other leg as well as his arms so he won’t be able to steal anymore cars…there was a time where i would have mercy on him, but my car’s been hit too many times by these criminals…a pox on them all!!!!
24 November 2009 10:07 AM | Amazed Said:
It must be fun being a kid in this city. So many things to do, steal cars, carry guns, shoot at other kids, jump them. Wow, it just goes on and on….
24 November 2009 10:15 AM | mphs Said:
“On a related note…” – Hah!
Talk about a distant relative.
24 November 2009 10:35 AM | andy Said:
dude that guy is so screwed.
24 November 2009 10:38 AM | Joe Said:
Wow, do kids go to school or do homework anymore? Is it too much to ask for a little self control and proper parenting?
24 November 2009 11:11 AM | intractable Said:
Oh, but haven’t you heard? This is *all* of our faults for not caring enough about these troubled youths and the “root causes” of their actions. Their socioeconomic situation positively compels them to steal, vandalize, assault and murder.
24 November 2009 11:27 AM | Mark Said:
The other day I saw that the almost-too-beautful Chevy Citation normally parked on that corner was among the victims. It had its back smashed in.
Citations are like sea turtles: ugly, impractical looking, hatched in the millions but extremely rare in their old age. To think that this one had overcome its humble beginnings, survived all that it had, to meet its end in a parking space at the hands of some idiot teenager — it makes me sad.
It makes me pretty angry that this happens all the time along 13th.
24 November 2009 11:40 AM | genius Said:
just ban parking on 13th. then the little rascals can have all the fun they want and no one’s car gets damaged. voila!
24 November 2009 11:48 AM | intractable Said:
BTW: Just read through the tract on CH that you linked. The text reads as if it’s from a different universe.
A sample:
“Nowhere within the District of Columbia can be found a community freer from the objectionable classes than that on the ‘Heights’ ; and there is every assurance that present conditions in this regard will continue in the future development and building up of the section. All are alive to the importance of co-operating to that end.”
24 November 2009 12:03 PM | fedward Said:
I noticed that Citation the other day, but the rest of the aftermath was long gone. Considering the last time this happened I’m glad I don’t live and park on 13th anymore.
24 November 2009 12:12 PM | christopher Said:
intractable, i just copied that same excerpt to post it here as well! if only the folks who wrote that could see the hood today. *sigh*
24 November 2009 12:24 PM | andy Said:
oh, by the way, did any of you guys see how HORRIBLE the lattes are down at Tynan? I just wanted to register my complaint about expensive local coffee on a comment thread about lamentable crime in Columbia Heights.
24 November 2009 3:17 PM | Princeton street?? Said:
So there is/was Princeton, Harvard, and Columbia…Was there also a Yale and Dartmouth Street?
24 November 2009 8:35 PM | Michael Said:
Yes, there was a Yale street as well – I believe that is now Fairmont, or at least that’s what I deduced from the 1904 pamphlet linked to above. (By the way, PoP, that pamphlet is incredibly interesting and at parts humorous – I think the pamphlet deserves its own post. The pictures are great and the text is fascinating, and I laughed out loud at some sections.) I don’t know if there were Cornell, Brown, or Dartmouth streets, though. None of those were mentioned in the pamphlet.
24 November 2009 8:54 PM | Victoria Said:
I for one am glad for crashed stolen cars – it’s the only way I ever would have gotten mine back!
28 November 2009 9:25 PM | Daisy Said:
There is a Brown St in MtP