D.C. police Monday offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of two bandits who robbed a church congregation in the midst of a service.
A handful of parishioners of the Full Gospel Zion Church had gathered for worship at the Union Wesley Zion Church in the 1800 block of Michigan Avenue NE around 8 a.m. Sunday when the robbery occurred.
The two robbers burst into the chapel, brandishing handguns. They announced the robbery and ordered the parishioners — three women and two men — to hand over their valuables.
The robbers made off with purses, wallets, cash, credit cards and a cell phone, D.C. police said in a news release.
The first robber was black, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, 160 pounds and wore a black bandana over his face. He also wore a gray hooded sweatshirt and black pants, police said. He carried a silver-colored handgun.
The second robber was also black, about 6 feet tall and weighing about 160 pounds, witnesses told police. He wore a wool mask over his face, a gray hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and a dark gray jacket. He carried a black handgun, witnesses told police.
The robbery shocked the conscience of even veteran officers on the police force, spokesman Ken Bryson said.
“It’s outrageous,” he said. “There’s got to be some limits.”
The robbery was a dark spot in an otherwise positive month, police said. The crime rate fell by 19 percent in October, police reported. Authorities have been working nonstop since a crime emergency was declared this summer.
Anyone with any information on the robbery is asked to call the D.C. police at 202-727-9099.
No one was in custody late Monday.
“We’re working it,” Bryson said.
