PG & DC Police Chase 14-Year-Old Carjacker Through 4th and 5th Districts

No injuries were reported from the 4-car accident caused by the chase...from NBC4:

Prince George's County Police initiated a chase of a carjacked Jeep Cherokee driven by a 14-year-old boy Monday afternoon.

Police on patrol spotted the Jeep, which they said was carjacked at gunpoint on Nov. 15, and tried to pull it over in the area of Eastern Avenue near Riggs Road.

Police pursued the Jeep after it fled.

The chase went for several miles at varying speeds through neighborhoods in the district.

The Jeep went down Missouri Avenue, past the Fourth District Station, down 16th Street, down North Capitol Street, and out Rhode Island Avenue before ending up in the 3800 block of Harewood Road, NE, where the driver fled onto the campus of Catholic University, according to officials.

The driver was arrested a short time later. D.C. Police from the fourth and fifth districts, along with the D.C. Police Helicopter and Prince George's County Police assisted in the chase.

Police said the chase contributed to a four-car accident, but no injuries were reported.

The Library Saloon's Open House for Brookland - Saturday, October 27th

In response to the recent grumblings from the Brookland community, The Library Saloon is having an open-house with free food and soda tomorrow night for the locals from 5-7 p.m. Additionally, owners Brian Westlye and Gaynor Jablonski recently posted the following response to reoccurring complaints on the Brookland listserv:

1- We appreciate all of the feedback we have received, both positive
and negative, with that feedback we can do our best to try and give Brookland residents a place they can enjoy. Keep it coming please!

2- As of this week our beer selection will be increased to more than three times of what we were originally carrying. Unfortunately, due to the size of our cooler and amount of draft lines we have, a majority of the selections will be in bottles. They range from a nice selection of Light beers to select imports and a few micro-brews. Please come check that out sometime later this week.

3- The glass issue is a work in progress. Glass will be used until a certain point in the evenings where it gets extremely busy. We have been working very hard with our Security staff to do our best to prevent any cups leaving our establishment.

4- The surly bartender who has drawn the ire of many Brooklanders (and us) has been let go. We are currently looking for a new bartender with a more sunny disposition. I myself will be there on Tuesday through Happy Hour if anyone would like to come in and give me some feedback in person.

More on The Library, Cardinal's Nest, and Ellis Island from CUA's The Tower:
» "'Library' Owners React to Local Concerns: Say They Are Cracking Down on Underage Drinkers, Want to be 'Neighborhood Saloon'" - 10.19.07
» "Card's Nest, Ellis Seek Changes To Liquor Licenses" - 10.19.07

Listerv Squabble Over "The Library" Makes the News

Because what we say on our neighborhood listservs isn't behind closed doors....FreeRide also points to a CUA Tower article on students being arrested recently for providing false IDs on the way in.

Brookland in Print

Brookland is the featured neighborhood in the Real Estate section of today's Examiner. You can view the pdf of "Brookland: Washington's urban oasis" here (in the drop-down menus choose May 11th, 2007 and pages 64-65). Yours truly is briefly - and for the most part accurately - quoted, but, for the record, I had nothing to do with the incorrect spelling of Sureia.

- - -

On May 4th, 2007 Washington Business Journal reported on CUA's upcoming development south of Michigan Avenue near the Metro (subscription needed to view entire article):

The Catholic University of America has shortlisted four bidders to develop an 8-acre parcel into a mixed-use complex that would revitalize the area around the Brookland Metro station.

Abdo Development, EYA, Monument Realty and Trammell Crow have been shortlisted as potential developers.

My vote is for Abdo, but that's just my bias based on a presentation given by Jim Abdo this evening for my DC Neighborhood College class. He impressed me so much, I honestly had the urge to hug him.

CUA Display on New Opus Hall Project

From Craig Parker, CUA General Counsel and Associate VP for Community & Government Relations:

The Catholic University's neighbors in Brookland are invited this week, Wednesday through Friday, to see a display regarding Opus Hall, CUA's newest residence hall project which begins construction later this spring. The display features a full-size mock-up of a typical suite in the new building. The Office of Housing Services invites the community to learn more through "The Opus Hall Experience" which will take place April 11 to 13 on the third floor of the Pryzbyla Center. On April 11, from noon to 7 p.m., and April 12, from 9 a.m. to noon, there will be visual displays, voting opportunities on color selections and the full-size mock-up of a suite. On April 13 displays will be available in the Pryzbyla Center, Room 209. For more information, contact housing services at cua-housing@cua.edu or 202-319-5615.

Thanks to Craig Parker for this information and his continuing efforts to bridge any gaps between CUA and the greater Brookland community.

Possible Human Skull Found Near CUA

Police said the partially decomposed skull was discovered about 6 p.m. Monday near a 7-Eleven at Hawaii Avenue and Taylor Street, NE. This morning a DC Police cadaver dog discovered skeletal remains in the woods, near the corner of Hawaii Avenue and Fort Totten Drive, NE.

**UPDATE 7:18pm: Investigators discovered a rope near the crime scene, and are looking at the possibility that this was a suicide.**

Details:
» The CUA Tower
» MPD
» WaPo
» WTOP
» NBC4
» WUSA9
» The Examiner

Norovirus at CUA

No fun - it's been determined that norovirus is behind the recent surge in gastrointestinal "issues" at CUA (I tried really hard to avoid any puns there...oh well). Those of us off campus, but in contact with CUA students at the Metro and in the neighborhood, should take extra precautions as well.

Carjackings and Abductions Near CUA, Hyattsville

MPD is working with the PG County Police Department on a recent series of seemingly related carjackings and abductions. From MPD:

Sometime after 7 pm, on Wednesday, November 8, 2006, a 23-year-old female operating a 2001 Pontiac Aztec near 12th and Newton Streets, NE, stopped behind a silver Honda [Accord]. It was at this time that a man displayed a handgun and forced the woman into the passenger seat of her Aztec and began driving her vehicle. At some point, she was forced into the trunk of a Honda, while another subject got behind the wheel of her Aztec and drove away. The victim is unclear as to how long she was driven around before she was placed in the trunk of the Honda.

At approximately 7:30 pm, on Wednesday, November 8, 2006, a 27-year-old female was entering a 2006 Chevy Cobalt in a parking lot in the 300 block of Taylor Street, NE. It was at this time that she was stopped by a white Mitsubishi and silver Honda. A man armed with a handgun entered her vehicle and drove off. The woman jumped from the car and made good her escape. It is reported that a short time later that night a man and woman were abducted in Prince George’s County, Maryland [Hyattsville]. The suspect in this case attempted to force the female into the trunk of the Honda, which was already occupied by the female abducted from 12th and Newton Streets, NE. The man and woman in this case managed to escape.

The woman in the trunk of the Honda is uncertain as to the length of time she was driven around and was in the trunk of the vehicle. However, her captors released her near her car in the Northeast section of the city after robbing her of cash, credit cards and a cell phone.

The suspect in the Newton Street case is described as a black male, 18 to 20 years old, approximately 5’5” tall, weighing 130 to 140 pounds, with a long pony tail and wearing a mask. The suspect in the Taylor Street case is described as a medium complexioned black male, approximately 6’1” tall, with a slim build, wearing dark jeans and a mask.

Anyone with information about these cases is asked to call police at (202) 727-9099. The Metropolitan Police Department currently offers a reward of up to $10,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for any robbery committed in the District of Columbia.

WaPo and NBC4 have additional details. Apparetnly the Honda was stolen on Sunday morning in Lanham and, the Post adds, "Prince George's police are investigating whether the carjackings are related to possible serial rapes. In the past month, at least four women have been assaulted after being abducted at gunpoint and forced to drive to various locations, where they were raped. [Diane Richardson, a Prince George's police spokeswoman] said that there is no evidence to suggest a connection but that police had not ruled one out."

ANC-5C Monthly Meeting Tuesday, June 20th

What: Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5C Monthly Meeting

When: Tuesday, June 20th, 2006 at 7pm

Where: Catholic University Campus, 3600 John McCormack Road, NE, William J. Byron Auditorium (Columbus School of Law)

Agenda: Catholic University Project with Craig Parker, General Counsel; Children's Hospital PUD with Ruth Fisher, Community Relations; Old Engine Company 12 Update with Susan Cheng, Office of Planning and Economic Development; 5D-MPD