Two teenagers who broke into a condominium building in Washington's Southwest Waterfront were detained by National Guard troops after the building's staff said the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) took more than an hour and a half to respond, according to building management and a news account.
The incident began Friday evening when, building management said, two people first attempted to enter the building and were stopped by a concierge. The pair returned, allegedly tailgating a resident to gain access, and then proceeded to the building's basement where they locked themselves in a bathroom in the communal laundry room, according to an email to residents and interviews with three building employees conducted on condition of anonymity.
The building's concierge called MPD, the management email said, but “because the police response was significantly delayed, members of the National Guard, who were patrolling nearby, detained the individuals until MPD arrived.” A source cited by the news outlet that reported the episode said the responding guard unit was from South Carolina. The two were held by Guard members and turned over to MPD once officers arrived, management and staff said.
Building staff said the intruders remained barricaded in the laundry‑room bathroom for more than an hour and a half. One member of the staff said they suspected the pair were using drugs, while another said they did not know whether illicit substances were involved. Management advised residents not to let strangers enter the building behind them and said it would issue revised guidance on access control.
Denise Taylor, a disabled veteran and long‑time resident of the building, told the reporting outlet she was shocked and frightened by the episode. Taylor, who uses a mobility scooter, said she had prepared to do laundry Friday evening and was relieved she did not go downstairs when the suspects took the laundry room.
The account said that, after MPD officers arrived, the suspects were released without incident. MPD did not respond to a request for comment from the outlet that first reported the episode.
The presence of National Guard troops in the capital has been politically charged. The reporting noted that the guard members in this instance were among forces deployed to Washington on orders from the president; those deployments have prompted debate about the role of military personnel in civil policing and the adequacy of local law enforcement coverage.
The episode unfolded amid broader concerns in the city and elsewhere about crime and public safety. The author of the first report cited other recent, high‑profile shootings in the city earlier in the summer that received widespread attention. Local officials have at times pointed to partnerships with federal or state forces, including the Guard, as a supplement to police patrols, while others have warned about reliance on military forces for routine public safety functions.
The building's management urged residents to avoid allowing unknown individuals to “tailgate” into secured buildings and said staff would provide new guidance on door‑security practices. Residents and staff described frustration with what they characterized as a delayed MPD response and relief that the Guard patrols were able to intervene in this incident.
The account of the break‑in, the detention by National Guard troops and the subsequent release of the suspects reflect ongoing tensions in Washington over how to ensure public safety in residential neighborhoods while clarifying the proper roles of local police and military forces deployed to the capital. The MPD did not provide a comment to the reporting outlet, and the guard unit involved did not immediately issue a public statement about the incident.