Democrat Congressman Carjacked in DC

Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas is OK after aides say he was held at gunpoint Monday near Capitol
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 3, 2023 7:22 AM CDT
Democrat Congressman Carjacked in DC
US Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, talks to a member of the media during a campaign event in San Antonio on May 4, 2022.   (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Authorities say a Democratic congressman was carjacked at gunpoint on Monday night in Washington, but he's OK, and his vehicle has since been recovered. Aides for Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar say the incident took place in the Navy Yard area of DC, about a mile from the US Capitol, per the Washington Post. Sources tell ABC News that an alert sent to congressional members indicated Cuellar, 68, was attacked by three to four men who held guns to his head and swiped not only his car but his phone. A Cuellar spokesperson confirmed the carjacking.

"As Congressman Cuellar was parking his car this evening, [three] armed assailants approached the congressman and stole his vehicle," Jacob Hochberg, Cuellar's chief of staff, said in a statement. "Luckily, he was not harmed and is working with local law enforcement." DC Police say the carjacking took place around 9:30pm local time, just down the street from the area in DC where "dozens of lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats alike, live in ... apartment and condominium buildings," per the Post.

DC Police say that, as of this past weekend, there've been 750 carjackings in Washington, DC, three-quarters of which have involved firearms, per ABC. The AP notes this is the second DC attack on a member of Congress this year: Minnesota Democratic Rep. Angie Craig was left bruised and shaken, but without serious injury, in February when she was assaulted in the elevator of her apartment building. She fended off her attacker by throwing hot coffee at him, per the Post. The perpetrator in that case was captured and pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress and law enforcement officers. (More Henry Cuellar stories.)

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