GUARDIAN ANGELS

DEPLOY TO

COMBAT NW DC

CRIME WAVE THAT

HAS CROSSED INTO

WEST BETHESDA

The group of armed robbers who have struck multiple times in Northwest Washington, D.C., along Western Avenue, and in the Westbard area of Bethesda, are still at large.

Last Monday's attack was the most recent, occurring in the 5200 block of Western Avenue, which delineates the Maryland-D.C. border.

The victim's description of the robbers was very similar to that in the Park Bethesda parking lot robbery Jan. 19: Masked and armed assailants.

Montgomery County Police continue stepped-up patrols of the Westbard area, which has so far pushed crimes back to the DC side of the border. But the Western Avenue incident was only blocks away from the Westbard area.

On the DC side, District 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh is said to have scheduled a meeting with constituents for this Thursday evening. I would pass along the time and location, but both are apparently top secret, as they are not listed anywhere on the internet.

Finally, a local chapter of the Guardian Angels is deploying in Northwest DC beginning this morning, according to WJLA 7.

In contrast to these actions on both sides of the border, Capital Properties is taking a strange approach at the Westwood Shopping Center: eliminating lighting in a full third of the parking lot, thereby further darkening those areas of Westbard Avenue. This action was taken within 72 hours of the last Western Ave. incident.

A second robbery in January occurred at the old WDCA 20 building on River Road, but was a theft of property from a business,

rather than a hold-up.