CAUGHT ON CAMERA: DC bartender fights off carjackers

WASHINGTON — A D.C. bartender is lucky to still have his car — and no serious injuries — after fighting off three young men who tried to carjack him over the weekend.

Randy White was on his way to work at Calico Saturday and had stopped to grab a few items from the convenience store at the nearby Sunoco on 9th Street NW.

"I pulled in there, and I saw the three individuals, like, standing on the gravel pile or whatever. I didn't really think anything of it," White said. "As I was leaving, like, I don't know, I just had, like, a weird feeling. And then, as soon as I get in front of my car. I hear the fast footsteps approaching and so I knew at that point -- so I turned around, and then that's when the scuffle ensued."

The entire attack was caught on the gas station's surveillance camera.

It shows three young men — whom White describes as teenagers — loitering in the parking lot of the gas station.

Then, as White walks to his car, they run after him and grab him.

The police report said one of the attackers told him, "give me your s***."

"I didn't want to fight him. I knew what was coming. I knew they were going to try and take my car," White said. "But like, I worked way too hard for myself just to relinquish it like that."

He said one of the three put him in a chokehold, knocking him to the ground, which caused his keys to also fall to the ground.

He and one of the attackers grabbed at the car keys in a sort of tug-of-war, and he said the key fob ended up splitting in half.

"The other guy was able to run, get inside the car, but I was tying up the other dude long enough, because I was just thinking, if I can just tie him up long enough, maybe a little -- just cut their losses and get on, so that's basically what ended up happening," White said.

The video also shows White climbing into the back of his car to gain access to the person who had jumped into the driver's seat.

Soon after he did so, though, the three of them got out and ran away.

"It was a hell of a way to ruin your day," he said.

He said a gas station attendant and some people at a nearby restaurant called 911, so he did file a police report immediately.

"One thing that hurts the most above all, is like, when you yell for help, and they just watch. Much rather than, like, stepping in and doing anything, and that's like the tragedy of the whole thing for me," he said.

Even though he kept his car, he did not come away unscathed. He said the three teens took his keys, which had both his car key fob and apartment keys on them.

"Mentally, I'm still, like, processing it a little bit, but like, my body is, like, kind of messed up a little bit," White said. "My knees are all torn to shreds. My hands, like, I had such a like, strong grip on the guy's shirt and everything that I ended up bruising my knuckles, because it was so tight."

He also noticed that one of his attackers dropped an AR-15 magazine in the scuffle, but he said he didn't see a gun or other weapon on any of them.

This is the second car-related incident White has experienced in this area. He said his previous car was stolen less than two years ago. Still, he does not plan to let these moments control his life.

"You fall off the bike, you get back on. I'm not gonna let it ruin my life about it," he said. "Just got to be more more vigilant. Just always keep your head on a swivel."

For the last couple years, DC had been seeing a notable increase in carjackings -- but that trend seems to be changing in 2024.

Police data updated on October 15 shows 404 reported carjackings year-to-date -- a 48% decrease from the same time last year.

Most involved guns, and a little more than half of the reported incidents involved juveniles, according to police.

So far, officers have made arrests in about a quarter of the cases.