Two teens are facing murder charges after police say they used a stun gun on an Uber Eats driver, in an attempt to steal his car.
NBC Washington reports that 66-year-old Mohammad Anwar was killed Tuesday after two girls, ages 13 and 15, allegedly tried to steal his vehicle in Washington D.C. The car ended up crashing in Southeast D.C., off of Vann Street.
Although the details of what happened inside the vehicle are still being investigated, detectives said that the teens assaulted Anwar with a Taser before the deadly crash. A witness reportedly told police that they spotted the girls in a physical tussle with the victim.
EXCLUSIVE: Law enforcement sources tell me 2 teenage girls, ages 13 & 15, are accused of an armed car jacking in SE Washington, DC. The car crashed & flipped over near Nats Park. The victim landed on the sidewalk & died at a hospital. Police arrested 2 suspects: @nbcwashington. pic.twitter.com/S5sqKE5gKc
— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) March 24, 2021
On Wednesday, the suspects appeared via video at the D.C. Superior Court. Both pleaded “not involved,” although Detective Chad Leo of the D.C. police homicide unit confirmed that one of the girls told him that they wanted to steal a car on the day in question.
Leo also testified that the girls snuck into Anwar’s car at the Navy Yard Metro station while armed with a stun gun.
Later, a witness saw the 15-year-old girl in the driver’s seat, while the 13-year-old sat in the passenger minutes before the crash.
“He’s got my cellphone!” one of the girls reportedly screamed, according to the witness, while Anwar stood outside of the car. He forced his way back into the car and climbed on the suspect in the driver seat, but she “manipulated” the gear shift, Leo said, which caused Anwar to hang “outside the car” through the open driver’s side window.
Minutes later, the deadly car crash happened.
The vehicle struck a curb after making a sharp right turn, which made the car flip on its side. Anwar was thrown from the vehicle. He suffered a head injury and broken bones, police said. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The girls were trapped inside the flipped car until two National Guard troops who happened to be in the area pulled them out. They tried to flee afterward, The Washington Post reports, but were detained at the scene until authorities arrived.
Magistrate Judge Tyrona DeWitt ordered that both teens remain behind bars in a secure building while the investigation into the case continues. Due to their age, the suspects’ names haven’t been revealed.
Anwar was an immigrant from Pakistan who worked at Uber Eats to help support his family. His family described him as “the main financial provider,” the Post reports.
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Mohammad Anwar/Police Handout]
