An armed robbery suspect made off with the money but left one of his thumbs behind following a violent armed robbery and double shooting at an alleged Columbia Heights bordello.
Police used the bloody appendage to track down the nine-fingered bandit suspected of robbing what authorities say is a Hispanic brothel and gambling house in Northwest Washington earlier this month.
Authorities said the suspect, Bryan Perez, 22, and his partner were able to escape from the row house with hundreds of dollars in cash. But, according to charging documents, Perez’s right thumb was left behind on the living room floor, hacked off during a struggle with one of the victims.
About two hours after the robbery, Perez went to the emergency room at Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park. Police found out about it, fingerprinted the thumb then transported it to the hospital for a comparison.
“It fits like a puzzle piece,” Dr. Erin Smith told police, according to the arrest affidavit. Perez was then taken to the Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore where his thumb was reattached.
Perez, of Hyattsville, was charged with first-degree burglary while armed. A judge on Tuesday ordered Perez to be held without bond. Police are still looking for his accomplice.
Police said the row house at 3827 14th St. NW was operating as an underground gambling establishment on the first floor and a brothel upstairs. Perez and another man entered the home around 8 p.m. on Oct. 11, and asked for beers. The each took a swig, then one of the men pulled out a black handgun and announced in Spanish that they were robbing the place.
One of the victims, Francisco Luna, grabbed the gunman and the gun went off, shooting Luna in the stomach. Perez then drew out a silver machete and attacked Luna with it, police said. In the struggle, Luna took control of the machete and cut Perez’s thumb off.
Half-naked young women, some in their teens, poured from the house, surprising next door neighbors, who called police.
The gunman fired additional shots, striking another victim, and the robbers fled the building. Both victims were expected to survive.
