Woman Dies After Another Woman Allegedly Carjacks SUV

An elderly woman died after the car she was in outside a hospital in Washington, DC, was carjacked, then crashed, with her still in it. Police say the victim and her adult daughter had just pulled up to the emergency department of MedStar Washington Hospital Center on Monday afternoon when a female suspect jumped into their SUV and drove off with it. The suspect drove into downtown DC, lost control of the vehicle, and crashed into a concrete barrier outside the US attorney's office, the Washington Post reports. NBC 4 reports the SUV crashed into a building near the DC Court of Appeals, about three miles away from the site of the carjacking.

An officer who witnessed the crash arrested the suspect as she was allegedly trying to flee the scene. The victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition and later pronounced dead. Charges are pending. While carjackings in the district more than doubled last year compared to the year prior, this year they're down 33% so far compared to last year. Motor vehicle thefts in DC are on the same trajectory: They increased by 82% in 2023 over 2022, but are down 30% so far this year compared to 2023. (More carjacking stories.)