DC Police Officer Hospitalized After Crashing While in Pursuit of Cartier Heist Suspects

DC Metropolitan Police say an MPD sergeant crashed and was injured while chasing a group of suspects who pulled off a jewelry heist at Cartier in Chevy Chase on Tuesday morning. 

“The sergeant crashed during the pursuit and he has been taken to a local hospital,” said Gwendolyn Crump of the MPD. “The vehicle was last seen traveling southbound on South Capitol Street with at least four people were inside.”

Crump said the injuries were “not life threatening.” The officer is assigned to the First District.

When the group of robbers stormed into the Cartier jewelry store at 5471 Wisconsin Avenue shortly after 11 AM they wore masks but did not brandish weapons. In less than one minute they smashed a case, grabbed the goods, and fled, according to Montgomery County Police, who chased them to Porter Street at the DC border.

“There were four employees in the store when it happened,” according to Captain Paul Sparks of the Montgomery County Police. “The crime took less than a minute.” He said the suspects piled into a late-model black Dodge Charger with different license plates on the front and the back. 

According to Crump the plates are Virginia tag JWR459 and Illinois tag P563888.

The Cartier store is in a one-block group of high-end stores known as the Collection at Chevy Chase, which also includes Dior, Bulgari, Jimmy Choo, Tiffany, and Ralph Lauren. An employee of the Ralph Lauren store said, “We are keeping our doors locked.”

Carol Ross Joynt