Senator's daughter is carjacked
Washington (CNN) - Sen. Bob Corker said Thursday that his daughter is fine but "really sore" after being pulled from her car and thrown to the ground in a carjacking in the nation's capital Wednesday night.
The Tennessee Republican said his 22-year-old daughter, Julia, stopped the family's 2005 Chevy Tahoe not far from their apartment - just nine blocks from the U.S. Capitol building - to help someone she thought needed directions.
"A gentleman appeared, opened the door, grabbed her by the neck," the senator said. "She kicked to try to get away ... and he threw her on the pavement and drove away."
Corker credited the vehicle's OnStar system with helping to locate it, and the suspects were taken into custody a short time later in a parking lot in Seat Pleasant, Maryland.
"It's pretty incredible how quickly they were able to apprehend" the suspects, the senator said. The two people in the car were taken into custody by police in Seat Pleasant after OnStar determined their exact location and showed that the vehicle was not moving, Corker explained.
The Seat Pleasant authorities were notified by OnStar that the stolen car was in their jurisdiction, and were provided the description and tag number of the vehicle, Seat Pleasant Police Sgt. Leroy Patterson told CNN.
"The officers just searched and they saw a vehicle matching that description," Patterson said, adding that the two suspects were taken to a Maryland station to be interviewed by Metropolitan Police detectives. The Metropolitan department "will handle the actual charges, because the incident happened in Washington, D.C.," Patterson explained.
The senator praised the work of the Metropolitan Police the U.S. Capitol Police, the FBI and the Seat Pleasant Police.
He also admitted that he often thought about canceling the OnStar service subscription.
"I was telling the lady who handles that for me in Chattanooga, each month I was saying, 'I don't want to pay this, I don't want to pay this,'" Corker said, adding that it was a nominal fee.
But he kept the service, "thinking that maybe OnStar would be of some help" someday, Corker said.
"Certainly it paid off tremendously last night," he said.
Updated: 5:10 p.m.
Follow Mark Preston on Twitter: @prestonCNN
–CNN's Ted Barrett contributed to this report.
I'm a liberal, but I sincerely hope the young lady is okay and will not suffer emotional scars because of this crime. My best wishes to the Corkers for speedy recovery.
I'm glad that girl is safe. Don't roll down your windows the next time. These fools crazy out here. DC is not Tennessee.
Why would you open your window to a stranger at 9 PM at night??
I'm glad that Ms. Corker wasn't harmed. Throw the book at these idiots, stories like this are too common.
Got to love that GM Onstar,
She rolled her window down? Is she an idiot? She was locked in and she practically gave them the car. Why didn't she just keep going? You don't stop when you are a woman alone at night on the road in DC. She was lucky not to be killed. Carjackings seem to be on the rise in this area. A driver was shot and one of the carjackers was also shot and killed by the shooter in DC a few days ago.
Too bad the regular people of this country don't get that kind of response. If it had been just a regular person, they probably would have been put on hold or told an officer will be out to take a report shortly.
Hello!!!! do ya think putting more monies into the police depts across the nation instead of lowering it. Yes, they can't be everywhere. BUT,
maybe these creeps that are all over could of done this multiple times, been in jail multiple times for the same thing. instead of in and out withing a few hours or a couple weeks. How about 10 years or so. Maybe they might get the message. If not, catch them again and 20 years, 3rd time life w/o parole. Our laws need to get oh so tuff and maybe these social misfits will get the message that we are tired of all these criminals taking over all of us.
now she knows how his constituents feel.....
Let me guess,
Verizon Center area.
9PM.
Easy unsuspecting prey trying to be helpful (bad move).
Carjacking.
OnStar tracking system.
Carjackers completely unware of the tracking system capabilities. (dumb)
Carjackers arrested in Seat Pleasant MD.
Can we trust each other, The answer is No!!!! Never will. It really is an easy call.
Wow did they pick the wrong car to jack.
But seriously, who tries to jack a newer GM anymore? Don't they watch TV? The OnStar commercials are on ever fourth commercial.
lol good for her! What on was she doin there!
You must be an idiot to carjack a vehicle equiped with OnStar. I mean, seriously?
good thing they got the bad guys or the senator would have the army, navy , marines and air force looking for that special girl,
and any job s there for citizens and not politicans familys , and friend s and donators ???????????????????
Rule # 1
Don't open the window.
Rule #2
Drive away.
Welcome to the Real World, Senator!
Tourists to the White House would be amazed if they traveled out a few miles from the White House circus attractions.
All you see are squalid ghetto's, terrible living conditions, homeless people, beggars and muggers.
Lesson learned, hopefully now she won't roll her window down for strangers.
Never ever roll down the window at a red light. Too bad she wasn't prepared and armed for her self defense and shot the buggers on the spot.
As a mother and grandmother, I really feel for the Senator, and pray that he and his daughter can, in time, put this behind them. We worry so about our kids, we just hate to let them out of sight. They can't even be safe in the nations capital. What a world we live in. I wish the penalty for carjacking were a lot stiffer than it is.
Oh good now a tougher car jacking bill will be passed cause one of their own got attacked.......Woo-Hoo see that's all it takes.
This just proves that gated communities, wealth, and power do not protect you from a disintegrating society. Perhaps Mr. Corker will adopt a different outlook on his party's tax, health, and education policies which favour the rich and leave too many people without a future, many of whom then turn to crime. America has 5% of the world's population and 25% of the world's prisoners.
What difference does it make weather the victim's father was a senator, Democrat or Republican? All this is is a story for the media. The same organized crime organizations destroying America.
Sen. corker's daughter needs to start using some Street Smarts. It is obvious that the carjacking may not have happened if the young lady had not rolled down her driver's side window.
She's lucky she didn't earn herself a Darwin Award. I mean, WHO ROLLS DOWN THE WINDOW?!?!?!?
Why is this considered to be news worthy? Numerous car jacking and other more serious crimes are committed each day. Why do we need to pay more attention to this particular crime because the victim happens to be related to a US senator?
A lesson never taught and learned, apparently. You don't EVER roll down your window or respond to anyone like that on the road.
ESPECIALLY while stopped at a red light. Simple common sense should tell you STRANGER DANGER!