Teen charged in fatal D.C. carjacking was freed after earlier arrest

[mahatmakanejeeves]

LOCAL CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

Teen charged in fatal D.C. carjacking was freed after earlier arrest

By Keith L. Alexander, Omari Daniels and Emily Davies
October 27, 2023 at 7:28 p.m. EDT



The D.C. Superior Court building. (Keith L. Alexander/The Washington Post)

A 15-year-old girl, who D.C. police say was involved in a carjacking and crash that killed another girl Thursday, had been placed in the custody of the city’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services a week earlier because she faced robbery and theft charges. But a judge said she ordered the girl released after the agency said it had no available housing for her.

The teenage girl, now charged as a juvenile with several additional crimes, was allegedly involved in an incident in which a carjacked Honda Pilot, traveling at a high speed, struck a utility pole at Brentwood Road and Bryant Street NE shortly before 2 a.m. Thursday, according to police. They said the driver, Kendra Outlaw, 16, of Northeast, was killed.

Police said the girls were part of a group of young people who carjacked two vehicles — the Honda and a Toyota Camry — that were traveling together at the time of the crash. After the Honda hit the pole, police said, it flipped over and struck the Toyota, which came to a stop. The 15-year-old girl was a passenger in the Toyota, police said. They said three people got out of the Toyota and two of them ran away. The teen was arrested at the scene.

At a hearing Friday in D.C. Superior Court, the teen — wearing an oversize sweatshirt with singer Selena on the front — sat with her lawyer while her parents and other family members watched from the courtroom gallery. The D.C. attorney general’s office, which prosecutes juveniles in the city, charged her with armed carjacking, unlawful entry of a stolen vehicle and conspiracy. Through her attorney, Julie Swaney, she pleaded not guilty.

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By Keith L. Alexander
Keith L. Alexander covers crime and courts, specifically D.C. Superior Court cases, for The Washington Post. Alexander was part of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team that investigated fatal police shootings across the nation in 2015. Follow for updates @keithlalexander Twitter https://twitter.com/keithlalexander

By Omari Daniels
Omari Daniels is a News Aide working with the Metro department at The Washington Post. He has previously contributed to The Post’s Metro and Capital Business sections. Twitter https://twitter.com/theotherbigo

By Emily Davies
Emily Davies is a reporter covering crime and criminal justice in Washington, D.C. She started at The Washington Post as an intern in June 2019. Twitter https://twitter.com/ELaserDavies

[jimfields33]

1. This is ridiculous

Not one place to put her? Maybe Maryland, DC and Virginia should have an agreement that they take prisoners who need beds if any fin FCC themselves in this situation.

[Fiendish Thingy]

2. I guess you missed this part:

A 15-year-old girl, who D.C. police say was involved in a carjacking and crash that killed another girl Thursday, had been placed in the custody of the city’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services a week earlier because she faced robbery and theft charges. But a judge said she ordered the girl released after the agency said it had no available housing for her.

She’s a minor, in the Juvenile Justice system, and not considered a “prisoner”.

She’s probably in a juvenile detention facility now, but prior to this incident, she was likely not considered a candidate for detention, but rather placement in a group home pending adjudication of her crimes.

Most states are extremely reluctant to incarcerate juveniles for anything but the most serious crimes (rape, murder); even red states will often first charge the minor as an adult before holding them in detention pending trial.

[MichMan]

3. Apparently there aren't any consequences

The 13 year old shot and killed in DC earlier this week while attempting a carjacking had a similar story. Just keep releasing them until someone gets killed.

Two police officials familiar with Vernard Toney’s criminal history said Monday that the youth had been arrested in May on nine prior carjacking and robbery charges.