Two teen girls are facing murder charges after a failed carjacking attempt led to a crash and killed a 66-year-old grandfather who was working as an Uber Eats food delivery driver in Washington, D.C..
via People:
On Tuesday at about 4:30 p.m., Mohammad Anwar, 66, of Springfield, Virginia, was in his Honda Accord when two girls, ages 13 and 15, allegedly tried to carjack him, the Metropolitan Police Department says in a statement.
The girls, whose names have not been released because they are minors, allegedly “assaulted the victim with a taser while carjacking the victim which resulted in a motor vehicle accident,” the Metropolitan Police Department says in a statement.
Anwar struggled with the girls as they tried to overtake the car, a witness told NBC Washington.
The car crashed in the 1200 block of Van Street, Southeast, a block from Nationals Park, and flipped on its side.
Anwar was thrown from the car, The Washington Post reports.
He was found lying on the sidewalk with life-threatening injuries.
The two girls allegedly tried to flee the scene but were caught by police officers and a member of the National Guard who was in the area, the Postreports.
Anwar was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
That same day, the 13-year-old, who is from D.C., and the 15-year-old, from Fort Washington, Md., were arrested and charged with felony murder and armed carjacking (taser), say police.
On Wednesday, the girls made their first appearance in D.C. Superior Court via video and pleaded “not involved,” which means not guilty in juvenile court, the Post reports.
At one point during the alleged carjacking, a detective testified that Anwar had gotten out of the car after an apparent struggle, the Post reports.
When he tried to get back in, the 13-year-old girl allegedly turned on the ignition from the passenger seat and “manipulated” the gear shift, the detective testified, the Post reports.
The car “lurched forward,” the Post reports, dragging Anwar, who was “hanging outside the car” through the open driver’s side door,” the detective testified.
That’s when the car crashed and flipped, leaving Anwar with a head injury and broken bones, the Post reports.
It is unclear whether the suspects have retained attorneys who can comment on their behalf. They remain in custody until their next court appearance.
As police continue to investigate, Anwar’s family and friends are grieving his loss.
A relative set up a GoFundMe to help the family defray funeral costs and to make up for Anwar’s loss of income since he was the family’s provider, it says.
He leaves behind his wife and two adult children in the U.S., and an adult son and four grandchildren in Pakistan, according to his family, NBC Washington reports.
Anwar, the relative wrote, “was a hard-working Pakistani immigrant who came to the United States to create a better life for him and his family.”
“Anwar was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend who always provided a smile when you needed one,” the page states.
It adds, “We will carry him with us always, but it doesn’t take the pain away of losing him so tragically and so unexpectedly soon.”
And just like that, what these young girls thought was mischief ended up ruining their lives.
