Law enforcement officials arrested five young men, including two juveniles, in connection with the brutal armed robberies and sexual assaults on visitors to the National Mall this summer.
The arrested men, between the ages of 16 to 22, turned the Mall into their own “hunting ground,” hiding in the shadows at night and pouncing on 12 unsuspecting visitors, said U.S. Attorney Kenneth Wainstein.
The men allegedly worked in groups of two or three in five separate attacks, kicking two victims in the head, groping one woman and dragging a 17-year-old girl into the dark where they raped her at gunpoint. One of the victims was a 9-year-old boy.
The attacks on the Mall, a favorite destination for joggers and tourists, brought national attention to the crime emergency that D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey declared after a spike in violent crime, particularly juvenile crime, and a series of 13 homicides in 11 days.
The suspects were identified as Zachary Bright, 19, of the 4400 block of G Street; Ryan Newman, 17, of the 1300 block of 5th Street NW; Trayvon Thomas, 18, of the 1300 block of Orren Street NE; Michael Bright, 16, of the 4400 block of Meade Street NE; and Marcus Brown, 22, of the 5000 block of Hanna Place SE. Michael Bright and Newman were charged as adults.
Thomas was arrested by U.S. Park Police on July 28 and pleaded guilty to three of the attacks Monday.
Three additional people have been arrested in connection with the use of credit cards stolen during the robberies.
“If you commit crimes on the Mall, we’re going to hunt you down,” said U.S. Park Police Chief Dwight Pettiford. “The Mall is safe.”
