DC crime victims testify before Congress about city's crime surge, residents ‘being targeted and attacked’

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DC armed robbery victim decries light sentencing of criminal who later held others at gunpoint

A man who was robbed at gunpoint on the streets of the nation's capital told House lawmakers the individual responsible for the crime had his sentence reduced and took to robbing others once he was released.

Washington D.C. crime victims appeared before the U.S. Congress this week to express how dangerous the nation's capital has become in the last year.

During the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance hearing on Thursday, several D.C. residents and small business owners described their harrowing experience of the rising crime wave in the city, which has surpassed last year’s crime figures.

The murder rate in the city is up, already surpassing 200 murders this year. Last year, the number of homicides did not reach the 200 mark until Dec. 29.

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D.C. residents and local business owners addressed Congress in a hearing Thursday about how the crime surge in the city has put their lives in danger. (Getty Images)

Victims, including Valor Brewpub owner Gaynor Jablonski, told Congress about dangerous criminals in the city. He presented lawmakers video of him being threatened at gunpoint by a DoorDash driver in front of his own small children. 

After showing the video, the pub owner recounted, "As horrific as that video is, what happened after was even worse. He gets eight months and I’m left explaining to my 5-year-old why I had to fight this man."

Noting the incident still has a lingering effect on his family, he added, "And my 5-year-old tells me when I drop him off at school every day to, ‘Be safe.'" 

In previous interview with "America's Newsroom" about the incident, Jablonski said, "If somebody can point a gun at someone's child, a loaded gun at someone's child, and get 12 to 24 months, the message you're sending is disgusting and it's only going to make things worse."

Mitchell Sobolevsky, a D.C. local, described the robbery he suffered in 2020. "He told me, ‘Do what I say and you ain’t gonna die tonight.’ All I could hear is, ‘You’re going to die tonight.’"

Describing the situation in the city, he added, "Some may say it is victim blaming, but the reality is crime exists. If you're not careful in violent cities like D.C., you may end up just as another statistic."

Like Jablonski, Sobolevsky mentioned his frustration at the criminal who threatened him getting a "light sentence." Though police caught the robber, the victim claimed he only received a year in prison for multiple armed robberies, and once he got out, robbed more people. 

The victim testified, "This light sentence was given despite my criminal robbing six victims and two businesses."

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In testimony offered to House lawmakers on Thursday, Mitchell Sobolevsky detailed how he was robbed at gunpoint on the streets of Washington, D.C. (House of Representatives)

First responders spoke at the hearing as well, including D.C. firefighter Myisha Richard, who claimed she was attacked by two women when responding to a call. She said, "Both of the females jumped over the banister onto the landing and began to punch and kick me while pulling my hair and holding my head down in place."

"I did not expect that while helping someone during their most vulnerable time in need during a medical emergency that the tables could quickly turn on me," she added. 

Thanks to the violent altercation, Richard said she suffered a concussion, a laceration above her eye, and post-traumatic stress disorder. She also dealt with the frustration of knowing her attackers were not going to serve time. 

D.C. Police Union Chairman Greggory Pemberton testified to the committee that shortages in police staffing have contributed to the city’s growing crime problem.

He said, "These dangerously low police officer staffing levels take away valuable resources from our assignments like detectives and investigative personnel and impede the departments’ ability to engage and speak with victims in a timely manner."

The union boss revealed that the union is down 605 members since 2020 thanks to the city’s recent police reform policies. He then appealed to the lawmakers, saying, "Tourists and visitors, your constituents, are being targeted and attacked. For the past 3 1/2 years, our union has been sounding the alarm about this problem to anyone within earshot including the D.C. city council."

D.C. Council Member Vincent Gray slammed the idea of Congress getting involved in the District’s police policies. He told local news, "Congress has enough on its plate, they don’t need to be micromanaging us."

"Public safety is the number one issue on my agenda every day and it will continue to be until residents feel safe and crime rates are dramatically decreased."

The D.C. Council has yet to respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

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Fox News' Amy Nelson and Kyle Morris contributed to this report.

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