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At least 29 bullet holes riddle the windshield and hood of a Ford Crown Victoria beached on the 2000 block of 17th Street NW. The unfortunate vehicle, devoid of license plates and dignity, has been parked next to the 3rd District police station for at least two weeks. Glass from a smashed side window twinkles in the back seat, and a hairbrush and baseball cap sit forlornly on the rear dashboard.
According to the cops, a man was sitting in the vehicle when it was sprayed with gunfire. Miraculously, he survived the assault. After he recovered from his wounds, the victim came to the station to retrieve the battered vehicle, which sports two bumper stickers pleading “Give Blood.” “But when he saw it, he said, ‘I don’t want it,’ and he just walked away,” says Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman Haydee Pineda. “Basically, he abandoned it.” Because the man is a witness and the case is under investigation, police wouldn’t release his name or details about the shooting. The car ended up in curbside parking at the station because police lots were full.
Bidders get ready: Pineda says police may try to auction the wreck this month. Then again, they may simply haul it to the junkyard.