A group of young thugs attempted a carjacking at The Boulevard in Largo last night. And who was the victim? A Secret Service agent who was armed. The agent fired at one of the thugs and they all hightailed it outta there.

Secret Service Officer Thwarts Armed Robbers

By Clarence Williams and Martin Weil
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, June 29, 2008; C04

Armed robbers tried to take a motorcycle last night from an off-duty officer in the uniformed division of the Secret Service, but the officer fired a shot to thwart the attempt, a Secret Service spokesman said.

The officer was unhurt in the confrontation, which occurred in the Largo area of Prince George’s County, but the vehicle in which the robbers fled was later found bloody and abandoned, the spokesman said.

The incident occurred about 8:30 p.m. at a restaurant area on Capital Centre Boulevard. Four men in a sport-utility vehicle drove up to the officer, and two got out, one of them with a gun. He ordered the officer to lie down while the other took the motorcycle. The officer fired his pistol at the gun-wielding robber. Abandoning the motorcycle, the robbers fled in the SUV, which was found later in the District.

Thank goodness that agent was armed. I applaud this Secret Service agent for defending his property.

According to WUSA9.com:

A short time later, Prince Georges County police received a report of a gunshot victim at Prince Georges Hospital Center. Witnesses say that victim was dropped off at the hospital in a dark-colored Maxima.

Police are now trying to determine whether that gunshot victim may have been among the suspects in the carjacking attempt. The other suspects are still at large.

Situations like this along with the young man who was beaten to death in front of Borders a couple of years ago and the shooting deaths at Pizzeria Unos earlier this year are why some folks I know won’t patronize The Boulevard.