The incident comes as more than 75 carjacking arrests have been made in Washington this year.
A U.S. Marshal who was on a Supreme Court justice’s security detail shot an attempted carjacker last week, according to a charging document that was recently unsealed in a federal court.
On July 5 at around 1 a.m. Washington time, two U.S. Marshals who were wearing the federal agency’s clothing were sitting in an unmarked government vehicle, when a silver Toyota minivan stopped next to their vehicle. An individual later identified as Kentrell Flowers allegedly emerged from the Toyota van, approached the government vehicle, and pointed a gun directly at one of the marshals, who wasn’t identified.
According to the document, the marshal pulled out his firearm and fired several times at Mr. Flowers through the window, striking him “in the mouth” before he provided first aid to the suspect. The silver Toyota minivan then fled the scene and traveled northbound.
A second U.S. Marshal from a separate vehicle also opened fire in the incident, Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement. No law enforcement officers were injured in the shooting, the department said.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals confirmed to The Epoch Times that the officers involved in the shooting “were part of the unit protecting the residences of U.S. Supreme Court justices.”
As to which justice, the spokesperson added, “As a general practice, the U.S. Marshals don’t discuss specifics of protective details.”
After Mr. Flowers was taken to the hospital, he was treated and placed under arrest, according to the charging documents. He will face attempted carjacking and resisting officers charges.
The shooting occurred in the area outside the building where Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor lives, according to public records. The charging document didn’t make reference to the justice or the high court, and there is no indication that Justice Sotomayor was being targeted.
The Metropolitan Police Department has made 77 carjacking arrests in 2024, according to data provided by the police department. So far, there have been about 260 carjacking offenses reported in the city.
