Armed robbers are targeting Asian-food delivery drivers along the 16th Street Northwest corridor, mugging 16 carriers in the last two months in the 4th Police District alone, authorities said.
The rise in robberies follows the killings of two delivery men from Asian restaurants last November and September in Southeast D.C. In the last three months, the food-delivery robberies have occurred mostly in Petworth and in Columbia Heights, according to police statistics. In the 4th District, the numbers escalated from one in November, to four in December, to 10 so far this month. “This is extremely serious,” said Cmdr. Linda Brown of the 4th District. “We have people who are trying to make a living who are being set up on, who are being preyed upon by extremely dangerous perpetrators.”
Robbers call the Chinese-carryout restaurants and order the food to be delivered to the wrong address or to a vacant home, police said. When the driver arrives, the robbers take the food, as well as the driver’s money and cell phone. In one case, they stole the car, too. Several drivers have told officers that they’ve been robbed several times.
The criminals appear to target Asian-food delivery workers because the drivers are alone and many speak limited English, making it difficult to communicate with authorities when reporting the crimes. The delay caused by getting an interpreter to translate allows the criminals to get away before police get a clear description.
Brown vowed to catch the suspects, and has taken steps to halt the attacks. Police have boarded up a vacant home in 5100 block of 13th Street Northwest that was used at least twice by robbers, and patrol officers are keeping a watch on the deliverymen.
Last week, officers and the mayor’s Asian liaison office met with 15 Chinese-carryout restaurant owners and workers in the 4th District to provide safety tips.
