A man is recovering in hospital after bravely serving as a human shield for his 21-year-old girlfriend during a near-fatal carjacking in Washington, D.C.
The couple was sitting in their car in Northwest D.C. shortly after 8 p.m. Monday when they said someone approached them wearing a mask and asked them to give them the vehicle, the FOX 5 affiliate.
As the couple tried to escape, the suspect started shootingstriking each of them five times, according to the report.
A photo of a law enforcement vehicle for the DC Police Department. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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The woman’s family told FOX 5 that her boyfriend “protected her with his body and took the brunt of the bullets,” suffering from a punctured lung.
While the two men managed to escape the armed suspectthey then crashed 400 meters from the road.
A good Samaritan called the family to let them know what had happened.
Washington DC continues to face increasing violent crime rates. (Anadolu Agency)
The D.C. man and woman were each shot five times, according to family members. (iStock)
“At first I felt like this couldn’t happen,” a family member told FOX 5. “I asked her if she could come closer to her, so I could hear her voice and know “Everyone should feel safe when they walk through their door, they shouldn’t have to worry if someone is going to take their property or their life.”
The woman underwent surgery and will likely require additional procedures, according to the report.
DC police have not publicly identified a suspect as of Wednesday evening, FOX 5 reported.
Fox News Digital has contacted the department for comment.
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FOX 5’s Homa Bash contributed to this article.
