City Desk now provides weekly updates on crimes throughout the District.

Brightwood Bandits: Two suspects could be responsible for 11 muggings this month. The duo, operating at night in the areas of Brightwood and Manor Park in Northwest, use “physical force” to rob their victims, police say. “They are normally driving a vehicle, but it changes,” says Metropolitan Police Department Lieutenant Keith DeVille of the 4th District, “so we assume it is stolen prior to the robberies. We are having sprees of two to four in a row by the same suspects.” DeVille notes that, so far, no one has been seriously injured in the incidents. “One team of the Crime Suppression Unit is working the issue along with all members of PSA 402.”

Cops 2, Crooks 0: First District police collared a couple of alleged thieves on Dec. 7. A man who lives in the 500 block of Third Street SE came home at 10 a.m. to find his front basement window and screen missing and strangers going through his stuff. The surprised citizen called 911. Cops later picked up two suspects identified by the man as the alleged burglars.

Around 7 p.m., a woman spotted several people breaking the front window of a residence in the 1600 block of F Street NE. She reported the crime to police. Officers arrived, but “as they were securing the front and rear of the location,” the suspects fled through the back. The alleged home invaders were nabbed after a brief foot pursuit.

Lady Crooks: A group of friends was on foot in the 2600 block of Tunlaw Road NW at 1 a.m. on Dec. 12 when three females approached from behind, pushing one of the walkers to the ground and taking her purse. The suspects then hopped in a vehicle—a four-door white Nissan Maxima in which the wheel-man was waiting—and drove off.

Vagrant’s Social Club: What’s going on behind Tenley Mini Market at 4326 Wisconsin Ave. NW? A resident complained via listserv on Dec. 9 that the spot has become a favorite for “vagrants and drunks” to party: The resident said they are there every day, “drinking, littering, catcalling, blocking the sidewalks, and who knows what else….” Second District Commander Matt Klein responds that officers will pay particular attention to the area.

Open Up: Also on Dec. 9, vice cops entered some Northwest houses. Lt. Alberto Jova says, “Third District Vice executed two search warrants in the 200 block of W Street NW and recovered narcotics, currency, and made four arrests.” Jova adds that no further details are available, as the arrests are part of an ongoing investigation.

Bad Neighbors: A man peppered with bullets in the 1300 block of Taylor Street NW around 6:45 p.m. on Dec. 9 didn’t appear to have life-threatening injuries, according to police. Of violence on Taylor Street NW, an MPD listserv member posts: “The police know exactly what house is the source of all these problems, how many times do we have to do this before they kick in the door of this house and drag out the rodents that have been plaguing this neighborhood?”

Pets or Unwanted Roommates?: Two pit bulls may have been forced into a tight spot. On Dec. 3, a Washington Humane Society Humane Law Enforcement (HLE) officer met up with D.C. police at a house in the 1100 block of Holbrook Street NE. The officers were responding to a complaint that two underweight pit bulls were being kept inside a wire crate. By the time the HLE cop arrived, the dogs had managed to work their way out of their enclosure—which was covered in feces and urine—and were loose in the front yard. The dogs were impounded and are now evidence in an animal cruelty investigation.

A concerned neighbor summoned HLE on Dec. 5 to rescue a frosty cat. An orange tabby was left in the rain and snow on the fourth-floor balcony of a building in the 5300 block of B Street SE. At the scene, the officer found the cat crying as it nuzzled itself against a window. The officer went to the offending apartment and spoke with the cat’s owner, who said the animal had been put on the balcony because a child inside was afraid of it. The officer warned the cat could freeze to death, and suggested the owner keep the kitty away from the jittery kid by placing it in a separate room. The owner brought the cat in.

Source: MPD’s District listservs, public releases, Washington Humane Society