Washington, D.C.’s Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser has defended a carjacker who stole a car from a doctor and then killed him by running him over with it.
33-year-old Rakesh Patel, a D.C. area MedStar physician, was pronounced dead after being killed by his own vehicle, according to police.
Patel stopped at his girlfriend’s house Tuesday night to drop off an item, WTTG-TV reported.
As the couple hugged goodbye, Patel noticed his Mercedes sedan beginning to move.
Police say Patel then pursued his stolen car while it was being driven by at least one thief.
Instead of pulling over, the suspects struck Patel with the vehicle and continued driving.
Patel died of his injuries at the scene.
The next day, police located Patel’s abandoned Mercedes E350 near the Maryland state-line, the Washington Post reported.
The Washington Police Department also released a video of two persons of interest they believe are connected to the fatal hit-and-run but have not yet made any arrests.
Bowser issued an incredibly tone-deaf response where she tried to downplay the crime, as captured by WTTG reporter Stephanie Ramirez.
On one hand, Bowser claimed, “there is no more important issue for us right now than dealing with people who are committing crimes in our city.”
On the other hand, Bowser seemed to minimize the seriousness of Patel’s apparent homicide.
“We saw one person, who probably didn’t intend to kill anybody, but did, and devastated a family,” Bowser said.
.@MayorBowser responds to Qs about Rakesh Patel, the 33yo @MedStarWHC doctor who was stuck & killed by his OWN car on Tuesday after someone had just stolen the car from him in Adam’s Morgan. @fox5dc pic.twitter.com/E64cZ9qySn
— Stephanie Ramirez (@RamirezReports) March 10, 2022
As with many Democrat-run cities across America, carjackings have plagued the nation’s capital in recent years.
“Carjackings in the District spiked 200 percent from 2019 to 2021, and continue to rise this year,” the Washington Post reported.
“Auto thefts are up 9 percent in 2022. D.C. police and other jurisdictions have formed a carjacking task force with the FBI to confront the problem.”
The most notorious incident happened last March when two teenage girls carjacked Mohammad Anwar, a Pakistani immigrant who moved to the United States to make a better life for his family.
During the course of the carjacking, Anwar remained connected to the car as the girls sped away.
Just seconds later, the car crashed, flipped on its side, and flung Anwar’s body into a building; he later died from his injuries.
Both teenage girls received plea bargains in which they pleaded guilty to felony murder.
They were both sentenced to remain in the care of D.C. juvenile officials until they reach the age of 21.
