DC Crime is ‘Down’? ABC News Anchor Says She Was Jumped, Coworker’s Car Stolen [WATCH]

ABC News anchor Kyra Phillips said Monday that she was assaulted just blocks from the network’s Washington, D.C., bureau within the last two years, adding to concerns over public safety in the nation’s capital despite official reports of declining violent crime.

Phillips shared her experience during a live broadcast, referencing multiple recent crimes in close proximity to ABC’s offices.

“We’ve been talking so much about the numbers and yeah, usually that’s how you play devil’s advocate, is you talk about, ‘Oh, well stats say crime is down,’” she said.

“However, I can tell you firsthand here in downtown D.C. where we work right here around our bureau just in the past six months, you know, there were two people shot. One person died literally two blocks down here from the bureau.”

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She continued, “It was within the last two years that I actually was jumped walking just two blocks down from here. And then just this morning one of my coworkers said her car was stolen a block away from the bureau. So we can talk about the numbers going down, but crime is happening every single day because we’re all experiencing it firsthand while working and living down here.”

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The remarks came as President Donald Trump announced new federal measures to address violent crime in the district.

Speaking Monday, the president declared a “public safety emergency” and said the National Guard would be deployed in D.C.

Attorney General Pam Bondi will oversee a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) as part of the administration’s strategy.

According to MPD data cited by The Washington Post, violent crime in Washington, D.C., is reportedly down 26% compared to 2024.

The MPD’s public tracker shows 99 homicides recorded in the district so far in 2025.

However, questions have been raised about the accuracy of those figures.

In July, NBC4 Washington reported that MPD Commander Michael Pulliam is under investigation for allegedly altering crime classifications. Pulliam has denied the allegations.

Fraternal Order of Police Chairman Gregg Pemberton told the outlet, “When our members respond to the scene of a felony offense where there is a victim reporting that a felony occurred, inevitably there will be a lieutenant or a captain that will show up on that scene and direct those members to take a report for a lesser offense. So, instead of taking a report for a shooting or a stabbing or a carjacking, they will order that officer to take a report for a theft or an injured person to the hospital or a felony assault, which is not the same type of classification.”

Recent months have also seen several high-profile violent incidents in the city. On August 5, former Department of Government Efficiency staffer Edward Coristine, also known as “Big Balls,” was beaten while intervening in a carjacking at around 3 a.m.

On June 30, 21-year-old congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym was killed in a gang-related shooting near a Metro station when suspects allegedly exited a vehicle and opened fire on a crowd.

In May, Elias Rodriguez was accused of fatally shooting two Israeli Embassy staff members outside the Capital Jewish Museum.

President Trump’s announcement marks one of the most aggressive federal interventions in D.C. policing in recent years, as his administration moves to address ongoing safety concerns in the city.