Despite media swooning about snow Samaritans, a few District residents have exploited paralyzing road conditions to advance their criminal careers. On Jan. 17, two Washington City Paper staffers traveling in a four-wheel-

drive truck got stuck in the snow on an unplowed street in Mount Pleasant. A passer-by kindly offered to help dislodge their car. When it remained stuck, he decided instead to threaten them with what he said was a gun and demand their cash. They turned it over and he walked away. D.C. police officers quickly arrived, and though they didn’t catch the perp, they did spend almost an hour helping to free the car.CP