WASHINGTON, D.C. — A rideshare driver’s routine shift took a dangerous turn early Sunday morning when an armed suspect carjacked his vehicle in Northeast Washington, D.C., setting off a crime spree that ended with a swift arrest.
The incident began around 2:46 a.m. in the 300 block of 15th Street, Northeast, where the driver was parked waiting for a passenger. A suspect approached, displayed a firearm, and demanded the driver’s car keys and personal belongings. The victim complied, and the suspect fled in the stolen vehicle.
Less than an hour later, at approximately 3:33 a.m., the same suspect used the carjacked vehicle to commit an armed robbery in the 800 block of Barnaby Street, Southeast. The suspect confronted a pedestrian, brandished a gun, and stole personal property before fleeing once again in the stolen car.
The Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) tracked the vehicle’s location and provided real-time updates to officers. Responding units located and arrested 33-year-old Parren Hawkins of Northeast, D.C., in the 700 block of Bonini Road, Southeast.
During the arrest, officers recovered a firearm and property linked to the armed robbery. Hawkins faces charges of armed carjacking and armed robbery.
