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Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser deleted a tweet on Sunday about ways to “reduce” the risk of carjacking after sparking outrage online for not mentioning an armed carjacking earlier in the report. week that resulted in the death of an Uber Eats delivery driver.
The post was a retweet from the DC Metro Police that offered ways to reduce the chance of your vehicle being stolen.
Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser testifies during the House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on Washington state Monday, March 22, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
(Caroline Brehman / Pool via CQ Roll Call)
“Auto theft is a crime of expediency,” Bowser wrote. “Follow these steps to reduce the risk of your vehicle becoming a target. Remember the motto, #ProtectYourAuto.”
A screenshot of a now deleted tweet by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (Twitter)
The post came less than a week after two armed hijackings in the city. Two teenage girls were charged with the death of a 66-year-old Uber Eats delivery boy on Tuesday. Two days later, two teenagers were arrested in yet another armed hijacking.
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Bowser was criticized for what some saw as her “dull tone” and poorly timed tweet, which did not mention any of the carjackings.
“Horrible timing on this clearly scheduled tweet,” journalist Natalia Antonova wrote on Twitter. “And while Mohammed Anwar was not dead, car hijackings are a plague in Washington – there is not much you can do to reduce your risk besides not driving a car.”
In a statement provided to Fox News, Bowser’s communications office said the tweet was part of an effort to raise awareness of a worrying increase in car hijackings and the “risk” they pose to the life of innocent individuals.
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“The scheduled social media post today was part of that effort and should not harm Mohammad Anwar’s tragic death,” Bowser’s office said. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with his family and the families of those we have lost to the violence.”
Fox News is awaiting a response from the mayor’s office on why it deleted the tweet.
Police statistics shared with Fox News show Washington car hijackings have increased over the past two years. Between January 1, 2021 and March 23, 2021, there were 95 car hijackings across the city, up from 21 in total compared to the same period last year. In total, 2020 saw a 143% increase in car hijackings compared to 2019, according to statistics.
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Fox News made several attempts to contact Bowser’s officer for a response but received no response.
Fox News’s Evie Fordham contributed to this report.
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