Pro-cop reform Dem lawmaker calls for ‘common-sense gun safety’ after being carjacked at gunpoint

Progressive Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania is calling for ‘common sense gun-safety’ reform on Thursday after she was carjacked at gunpoint by five teens in Philadelphia earlier this week.

She said she hoped the teenagers learn from their mistakes and denounced politicization of her incident as ‘pretty despicable’ in comments to a local CBS affiliate.

‘I wish they rather focus on the fact that we can prevent gun violence with common-sense gun safety measures,’ Scanlon said.  

The oldest teenager charged with the carjacking was out on bond at the time of the crime on Wednesday from stealing another car.

Josiah Brown, 19, is facing federal charges for the carjacking in Philadelphia. He already has a string of other arrests.

Along with Brown, four other teens were involved in the carjacking ranging from ages 13-16 – all of whom were released back to their parents. 

Recalling the incident on a CBS radio station, Scanlon said: ‘A car pulled up, kind of behind and at first we didn’t pay much attention to it.’

‘Two people got out of the car and approached us with guns, and said “Give me the keys,” so I did,’ she said.

‘They were young people and they had guns and, you know, I was scared that someone would do something even more stupid than steal a car.’

Brown admitted to pointing a gun at Scanlon’s chest to investigators, according to the CBS affiliate. He reportedly wrote Scanlon a letter apologizing as well.

‘I haven’t seen this letter, and I am too sorry that he pointed the gun,’ Scanlon reacted. 

The pro-police reform lawmaker had co-sponsored a bill in February 2021 that would divert some state and local law enforcement funding toward hiring mental health professionals to accompany officers on some 911 calls. 

Brown’s father told the outlet, ‘He made a lot of bad decisions, but this right here, in my heart, I don’t think my son committed this crime.’

He said he thought Brown was with his two sons instead. 

President Joe Biden called Scanlon after she was carjacked, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday. 

‘Is the president taking crime in big cities more seriously now that a Democratic member of Congress, Mary Gay Scanlon, has been carjacked at gunpoint?’ Fox News‘ Peter Doocy asked Psaki at Thursday’s briefing.

‘Let me first say that we’re relieved that she was not injured,’ Psaki replied. ‘And the president called her and spoke with her this morning, as well.’

‘It is absolutely unacceptable for any American, whether they’re a member of Congress or not, to be victimized by crime like that,’ she added.

Brown, from the president’s home town of Wilmington, Delaware, is expected to face federal charges in Scanlon’s carjacking, the Delaware State Police said Thursday. 

Three of the other teen carjackers were boys ages 13 and 16 and a girl aged 14. They were all charged in Delaware with receiving stolen property and were each released to their guardians on $1,500 unsecured bond.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that President Joe Biden called Democratic Rep.  Mary Gay Scanlon from Pennsylvania after she was carjacked at gunpoint Wednesday

The fifth was a 15-year-old boy charged with receiving stolen property, resisting arrest and two counts of criminal mischief, according to police. He was taken to the New Castle County Detention Center on $3,500 bond.

Brown is a suspect in several other incidents over the last few years.

Most recently, an arrest warrant was issued for Brown in March 2021 after his fingerprints matched up with those connected to a string of vehicle break-ins in Chester County, Pennsylvania in late 2020. 

FDR Park, where the crime occurred, is within City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson’s district, who claims carjackings are happening at all times of day and that anyone is falling victim.

‘Right now in the City of Philadelphia, people feel like there’s a sense of lawlessness,’ he said. ‘At the end of the day, you see carjackings taking place during the holiday season. We see people being robbed of their Rolexes, so at the end of the day, we have to figure out how do we get ahold of this senseless violence.’

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement: ‘It’s disheartening, and quite frankly infuriating, that criminals feel emboldened to commit such a reckless crime in the middle of the day in what should be a place of tranquility and peace-one of Philadelphia’s beautiful parks.’ 

Scanlan and Illinois State Senator Kimberly Lightfordand, both Democrats who supported police reforms in Philadelphia and Chicago respectively, were carjacked just 16 apart from each other. 

Kimberly Lightford (pictured) and her husband Eric McKennie were  carjacked by three masked individuals 20 minutes away from Chicago on Tuesday evening

Scanlon, 62, was robbed at gunpoint in Philadelphia’s FDR Park on Wednesday afternoon after Illinois State Senator Kimberly Lightford, 53, and her husband, Eric McKennie, were also carjacked Tuesday night in a suburb 20 minutes outside of Chicago.

Law enforcement officials confirmed that FBI agents and state police have arrested five people, four males and one female, Wednesday night in connection to the theft of Scanlon’s car.

Both women supported police reform policies last year following ignition of the Black Lives Matter movement. Scanlon and Lightford also co-sponsored bills in their respective offices to allow mental health specialists to be dispatched as first responders instead of police officers.

Lightford, the Illinois Black Caucus chairwoman, had also previously supported cutting police budgets in the state, with Chicago proposing to slash $59 million from their police department’s budget while violent crimes soar in the Windy City.   

Scanlon’s incident came after Philadelphia’s woke District Attorney, Larry Krasner, claimed there is not a ‘crisis of lawlessness’ – despite robberies skyrocketing by 27 per cent since 2020 and murders breaking an all-time record this year. 

And the attack against Lightford came just two days after Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot made a U-turn and asked for federal agents to help to get the city’s crime under control amid the proposed slash to the local police department.  

Scanlon was walking to her parked vehicle and was approached by two men driving a dark-colored SUV, WPVI reported.

They demanded her keys and then fled in her 2017 Acura MDX with license plate LKG-8893. She had her car, purse, wallet and phone stolen but was not injured, her office confirmed.   

The car was located at the Christiana Mall, in Delaware, where all five suspects were taken in to custody. Police have not said if any charges have been filed.

Scanlon was robbed of her car at gunpoint in FDR Park (pictured) following a meeting there. She was walking to her parked vehicle when she two men driving a dark-colored SUV approached her, demanded her keys and fled in her 2017 Acura MDX – license plate LKG-8893

‘I am relieved that Congresswoman Scanlon was not physically injured, and my thoughts are with her during this difficult time,’ Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a statement. 

‘The PPD will continue to provide any support needed in this case and will work diligently alongside our federal partners to assist in bringing those responsible to justice.’  

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Philadelphia Police Department for additional comment.

In a statement about the robbery, Scanlon’s spokesperson Lauren Cox said: ‘Wednesday afternoon, at around 2:45 p.m., Congresswoman Scanlon was carjacked at gunpoint in FDR Park following a meeting at that location.’ 

She added: ‘The Congresswoman was physically unharmed. She thanks the Philadelphia Police Department for their swift response, and appreciates the efforts of both the Sergeant at Arms in D.C. and her local police department for coordinating with Philly PD to ensure her continued safety.’ 

The crime against Congresswoman Scanlon comes at the end of a violent year in Philadelphia under ‘progressive prosecutor’ Krasner, who won re-election this year. 

Scanlon’s car was located later on Wednesday night at the Christiana Mall, in Delaware. Police arrested five suspects inside the car

Just 16 hours earlier, Illinois’ Democratic State Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford was the victim of carjacking Tuesday night in a Chicago suburb, police confirmed.

Lightford and her husband, Eric McKennie, were not harmed by the three masked subjects who took off in her black Mercedes-Benz SUV, said Chief of Police Thomas Mills.

‘This is still an ongoing investigation but I can confirm no shots were fired by the police,’ Mills said. ‘The victim did hear what they believed to be gunfire.’

Lightford said in a statement: ‘First and foremost, I am thankful that my husband and I are alive and physically unharmed. I am trying to process the trauma of what happened. I want to thank everyone who has offered their love and support.’

The Illinois Black Caucus chairwoman worked with Barack Obama when he was a state senator representing and in the late 1990s the two worked together to pass a racial profiling reform law. 

Her run-in with armed criminals comes two days after Lightfoot pleaded with Attorney General Merrick Garland to send Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents to the city for six months to combat rising crime. 

Lightfoot announced on Monday that she made a formal request to Garland to send ATF agents to Chicago for six months, a well as more federal prosecutors and federal marshals to help get illegal guns off the streets.

Lightford’s carjacking comes two days after Mayor Lori Lightfoot (pictured) pleaded with AG Merrick Garland to send ATF agents to Chicago for six months

As of December 6, Philadelphia had recorded 521 homicides for the year, surpassing New York’s 443 and Los Angeles at 352

Her request comes after she proposed slashing $80 million from the Chicago Police Department budget in 2020 during ‘defund the police’ protests.

The proposal was later scaled back and 3.3% of the budget – or $59 million.

The incident took place about 12 miles west of Chicago, which is currently fighting a 25-year high murder rate, with 767 homicides occurring within the city so far this year.

Carjackings in the Windy City have jumped by about 32 percent through Sunday, with 1,781, up from 1,352 during the same time last year, Chicago Tribune reported

At least dozen large mid-tier cities across the country have already broken their annual homicide records

At least dozen large mid-tier cities across the country have already broken their annual homicide records this year

The latest crime comes after a December 10 video went viral of a groom being robbed at gunpoint outside his wedding reception in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia. The criminals took off with his Rolex watch

Crime has run rampant in Philadelphia, where on December 10, a groom was robbed of his Rolex watch by armed bandits outside a wedding hall. 

Cops who responded to the scene caught up with the criminals and they were officially arrested last Thursday after being linked to at least 10 other robberies since October.

Video surveillance of the incident shows the unnamed groom outside with other members of his wedding party in the Old City neighborhood when the three gun-toting criminals jumped out of a sedan and ran up to the group and demanded the newlywed turn over his pricey watch.

The city of brotherly love has shattered its 30-year-old record for annual murders, surpassing the much larger cities of New York and Los Angeles. 

As of December 6, Philadelphia had recorded 521 homicides for the year, surpassing New York’s 443 and Los Angeles at 352. 

This is despite the fact that with a population of 1.5 million, Philly is less than half the size of Los Angeles and one-fifth of New York.  

The grim trend follows national calls to defund police departments, and in some cities, reforms to bail rules that critics claim let dangerous offenders loose pending trial.