Drizzt
May 18, 2003, 01:30 AM
Like Mayor's Hair, Robbery At NE Barbershop Is Cut Short
By Clarence Williams
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 17, 2003; Page B05
The owner of Campbell's Barber Shop, where Mayor Anthony A. Williams recently got a new hairstyle, apparently keeps more than a razor and scissors at the ready.
John Campbell raced out of the Northeast Washington barbershop on Tuesday -- armed with a .38-caliber revolver -- and chased a robber. He exchanged gunshots with the man, who ran into nearby woods, where police later found and arrested a suspect.
Police and witnesses said the episode unfolded at 4:50 p.m., when a gunman robbed a hot dog vendor who works on the sidewalk just outside the barbershop, in the 5700 block of Dix Street NE. Campbell also owns the hot dog stand.
"He said, 'Give up the bank or I'm going to shoot you in the leg,' " recalled Andre Prophet, the vendor. Prophet turned over $138 from his pants pocket. Moments after the gunman left, Prophet said, he ran into the barbershop for help.
Campbell grabbed his pistol and chased the robber around the corner onto 57th Place NE, Prophet said. Police did not identify Campbell as the citizen involved in the incident because they typically do not name witnesses. But they said gunfire was exchanged, with the suspect firing first; both men fired two shots, police said.
No one was hit by the gunshots, police said. The pursuit ended about 21/2 blocks from the barbershop, in a wooded stretch of Watts Branch Park in the 5800 block of Blaine Street NE.
When police officers arrived, they used a dog from the canine unit to help search the bushes. The dog bit Shadawncea Gardner, who was arrested, on the right leg, police said. Authorities said a .380-caliber handgun was found two feet from where Gardner was apprehended...
...The District has one of the most restrictive gun laws in the country. Since 1976, it has been illegal to carry a pistol in the city without a license. The D.C. code effectively prohibits anyone but law enforcement officials from carrying a handgun. But lawmakers granted an exception to people who registered their handguns before the 1976 law went into effect.
Campbell, who said he is in his fifties, declined to comment on the matter, and it was unclear yesterday whether he has a license to carry a weapon. He has not been charged.
Channing D. Phillips, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, said the case is still under investigation.
Sgt. Joe Gentile, a police spokesman, said the department appreciates the commitment of concerned citizens but does not advocate citizens being armed "to put themselves in harm's way."...
...The shop is in a tiny cradle of commerce at the end of a one-way street. By day, children play along the stretch and adults sit outside. But after dark, robberies have grown more common near the trails that go through the woods, residents said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1551-2003May16.html
By Clarence Williams
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 17, 2003; Page B05
The owner of Campbell's Barber Shop, where Mayor Anthony A. Williams recently got a new hairstyle, apparently keeps more than a razor and scissors at the ready.
John Campbell raced out of the Northeast Washington barbershop on Tuesday -- armed with a .38-caliber revolver -- and chased a robber. He exchanged gunshots with the man, who ran into nearby woods, where police later found and arrested a suspect.
Police and witnesses said the episode unfolded at 4:50 p.m., when a gunman robbed a hot dog vendor who works on the sidewalk just outside the barbershop, in the 5700 block of Dix Street NE. Campbell also owns the hot dog stand.
"He said, 'Give up the bank or I'm going to shoot you in the leg,' " recalled Andre Prophet, the vendor. Prophet turned over $138 from his pants pocket. Moments after the gunman left, Prophet said, he ran into the barbershop for help.
Campbell grabbed his pistol and chased the robber around the corner onto 57th Place NE, Prophet said. Police did not identify Campbell as the citizen involved in the incident because they typically do not name witnesses. But they said gunfire was exchanged, with the suspect firing first; both men fired two shots, police said.
No one was hit by the gunshots, police said. The pursuit ended about 21/2 blocks from the barbershop, in a wooded stretch of Watts Branch Park in the 5800 block of Blaine Street NE.
When police officers arrived, they used a dog from the canine unit to help search the bushes. The dog bit Shadawncea Gardner, who was arrested, on the right leg, police said. Authorities said a .380-caliber handgun was found two feet from where Gardner was apprehended...
...The District has one of the most restrictive gun laws in the country. Since 1976, it has been illegal to carry a pistol in the city without a license. The D.C. code effectively prohibits anyone but law enforcement officials from carrying a handgun. But lawmakers granted an exception to people who registered their handguns before the 1976 law went into effect.
Campbell, who said he is in his fifties, declined to comment on the matter, and it was unclear yesterday whether he has a license to carry a weapon. He has not been charged.
Channing D. Phillips, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, said the case is still under investigation.
Sgt. Joe Gentile, a police spokesman, said the department appreciates the commitment of concerned citizens but does not advocate citizens being armed "to put themselves in harm's way."...
...The shop is in a tiny cradle of commerce at the end of a one-way street. By day, children play along the stretch and adults sit outside. But after dark, robberies have grown more common near the trails that go through the woods, residents said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1551-2003May16.html