Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar (D) was carjacked at gunpoint on Monday night in Washington, D.C., about a mile from Capitol Hill, authorities said.
The lawmaker was unharmed, and police later recovered his vehicle. Three armed robbers, at least one of whom had a gun, approached Cuellar in the city’s Navy Yard neighborhood around 9:30 p.m. before stealing the car and the congressman’s luggage. Politico was the first to report the news.
“I was just coming into my place, and three guys came out of nowhere, and they pointed guns at me,” Cuellar told reporters Tuesday morning. “I do have a black belt, but I recognize when you got three guns.”
He added, “They said they wanted my car, so I said sure. You got to keep calm in those situations, and they took off.”
Cuellar thanked the Capitol and Metro Police and said he’ll leave it up to the House administration on whether or not Congress members should have more security.
“The message is very simple: You gotta support law enforcement,” he said.
His phone and tablet were also stolen. It’s unclear if the car, which had Texas license plates, identified the owner as a member of Congress, The Washington Post noted.
“As Congressman Cuellar was parking his car this evening, 3 armed assailants approached the congressman and stole his vehicle,” his chief of staff, Jacob Hochberg, told media outlets. “Luckily, he was not harmed and is working with local law enforcement. Thank you to Metro PD and Capitol Police for their swift action and for recovering the congressman’s vehicle.”