A group of 25 to 30 juveniles surrounded and robbed a man near the Chinatown Metro station on Monday, Oct. 12. The group took his $1,150 Balenciaga sneakers, an iPhone 17 Pro and other belongings, WUSA9 reported, citing the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) incident report.

The victim told police he and his friends were walking on the 800 block of 7th Street NW around 8:40 p.m., looking for restaurants, when the juveniles began following them. One demanded his shoes: "I ain't gonna lie, you gotta give me those shoes right now."

The victim removed his sneakers. A second juvenile patted his pockets and took the phone from his hand. The group also took a black Under Armour quarter-zip jacket, his ID and medical card.

The victim and his friends ran.

A witness told officers about half the group entered the Chinatown Metro station and the other half boarded a Metrobus. Two suspects are wanted on robbery charges. No arrests had been made as of WUSA9's report, and MPD has not issued a separate public statement on the incident.

The robbery follows a pattern of juvenile group crimes in the District. On Tuesday, Oct. 6, a group of juveniles surrounded and robbed a woman at 8th and Q Street NW, according to an MPD press release. A 14-year-old was arrested and charged with robbery and simple assault. On Wednesday, Oct. 7, an AlertDC alert went out for a separate robbery on Q Street NW involving about 20 juveniles.

MPD data reported by WUSA9 shows the District recorded more than 1,000 juvenile arrests from January through June 2026, up from about 900 in the same period in 2025. Nearly 40% of the 2026 arrests were for violent crimes, compared with nearly 34% a year earlier. Simple assault and robbery were the top charges.

At an Oct. 6 news conference about four juveniles charged in eight Northeast D.C. burglaries, MPD Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll called the trend alarming. "It's always concerning when young people, as young as 13 years old, are involved in criminal activity … Especially when they include firearms and potential sexual offense," Carroll said, as WUSA9 reported.

The Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) is updating its policy on how juvenile offenders are placed and who decides consequences for repeat offenses. At an August 2026 public roundtable, D.C. Councilmember Zachary Parker questioned whether a deputy director should be able to override a review panel's recommendations on individual cases. DYRS has not set a deadline for completing the updated policy.

Anyone with information about the Chinatown robbery can call MPD at 202-727-9099 or text 50411.