Dangerous weapon assaults rise in D.C., despite overall crime drop
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
National Guard members and a D.C. police officer last August. Photo: Andrew Leyden/Getty Images
There's an outlier in D.C.'s crime drop: Assaults with a dangerous weapon.
Why it matters: D.C. police report a 40% increase in incidents compared to the same time last year — even as homicides, robberies and overall crime continue to fall.
By the numbers: There have been 768 assaults with a dangerous weapon, compared to 548 this time last year, per police data.
- The increase has been particularly concentrated in mid-city neighborhoods like Columbia Heights and east of the Anacostia River.
The big picture: Overall crime is down 20% compared to this time last year, continuing a decline that began in summer 2023.
- Homicides are down 33%, and robberies are down 14%.
- But the rise in assaults with a dangerous weapon has pushed overall violent crime up 4% so far this year.
It also comes a year after President Trump's deployment of the National Guard and his crime crackdown in D.C.
- Trump continues to take credit for the broader drop, exaggerating that "D.C. went from High Crime to NO CRIME."
Between the lines: It's unclear how much of the increase is tied to more assaults — and how much reflects changes in the way police classify them.
- The Metropolitan Police Department has been under scrutiny for accusations of manipulated crime statistics. A recent report by the D.C. inspector general found lapses in police crime reporting.
What they're saying: D.C. police provided a statement to Axios that appears to suggest part of the reason for the uptick could be tied to the crime stats scandal.
- MPD says it established an Office of Data Integrity and Analytics to ensure crimes are recorded correctly. Officers took part in a "crime classification virtual training" in March, and in-person training is also scheduled.
- "Our expectation is that all MPD members classify crime accurately and consistently, and in accordance with the law," MPD spokesperson Darran Todd told Axios in an email.
MPD didn't return Axios' request for comment on how much, if any, classification changes contributed to the 40% increase in assaults with a dangerous weapon.
Zoom out: Beyond that, police say a "significant percentage" of domestic violence cases are classified as an assault with a dangerous weapon.
- "Domestic violence continues to be a serious challenge in our community," Todd said.
- Officers are also increasing their presence in neighborhoods where assaults with weapons have risen the most.