Global Courant
Investigations are underway in Washington, D.C., after a clerk was beaten and injured, and in two separate incidents, some customers’ car keys at two restaurants were stolen from clerk booths.
The first incident occurred Thursday at Diners at Kitchen + Kocktails at 1300 I Street in Northwest DC, where customers learned a clerk had been attacked and keys stolen, according to FOX 5 DC.
Four suspects arrived at the restaurant in a black Infiniti Q50S with a Maryland hard tag of 50033CJ, according to a police report obtained by the outlet. Detectives said one man distracted the doorman while others broke into the valet key box and stole keys from several vehicles.
The men then fled the restaurant in the Infiniti onto I Street NW and turned right onto K Street NW.
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A clerk in Washington, D.C., was beaten and injured, and in two separate incidents, some customers’ car keys were stolen from clerk booths at two restaurants. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Police said one of the clerks pursued the suspects’ vehicle on foot until it arrived at the 900 block of 13th Street NW, where the suspects attempted to enter a car that matched one of the stolen sets of keys.
The valet was trying to pull the suspects out of the vehicle when they started attacking his face. The valet retreated and the suspects fled in the stolen car.
DC Fire and EMS responded to the incident and transported the attendant to Washington Hospital Center. He was treated for swelling of his forehead and lacerations to his nose.
A valet was trying to stop the suspects from taking a vehicle when they started punching him in the face. (Getty)
The second burglary occurred around 10 p.m. Saturday, during which several sets of keys were taken from the valet stall of Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse at 950 I St. — a few minutes from Kitchen + Kocktails.
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The clerk reported the incident, informing officers that a suspect approached the clerk while he was assisting a customer, and grabbed four sets of keys to a Maserati, a 2021 Kia, a 2021 Honda and a 2021 Nissan before running off, police said.
Andrea Ible, one of the victims, said she was unable to get into her car until Sunday afternoon, adding that she had not received her keys back. She expressed her frustration with the restaurant at how it is handling the incident.
“They’re not doing anything,” Ible told FOX 5. “They were very negligent.”
Both incidents occurred when servants were distracted or helping other customers. (Getty)
Both incidents are still under investigation.
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Keys have been stolen from DC valet stands on multiple occasions over the past few months. The most recent took place outside RPM Italian DC at 6th and K Streets in February. A clerk at a Ruth’s Chris Steak House was broken into in Northwest DC on Christmas Day and again on New Year’s Day.
It is unclear whether any arrests were made in those incidents.
