On Monday, ABC News anchor Kyra Phillips shared a disturbing experience she had with a homeless man, who was only partly clothed, while she was in downtown Washington, DC.
She mentioned, “In downtown DC, where our station is located, it’s been alarming. Recently, there were two shootings and one fatal incident just a couple of blocks from us,” Phillips noted.
Reflecting on past incidents, she stated, “Over the last two years, I’ve often walked just two blocks from here.”
Just that morning, she added, “a colleague mentioned that her car had been stolen.”
Phillips described her encounter with the robber as “scary like hell” during an interview with DC US lawyer Janine Pirro.
Despite being only two blocks from the ABC station, she expressed that it felt significant and mentioned, “This type of thing, sadly, happens to many people in our building.”
Describing the attacker, she said, “He was homeless and half dressed. It was obvious he wasn’t in a clear state of mind.”
In a moment of tension, Phillips felt her best option was to respond assertively. “Honestly, it was terrifying, but I fought back. I didn’t see any weapon in his hands, and I felt compelled to act,” she recalled.
On the same day, President Trump spoke about the situation in DC, calling it “dominated by violent gangs and unsightly conditions.” He promised that his administration would take measures to clear homeless camps from public areas.
Data from the Metropolitan Police Department showed a 26% decrease in violent crime this year compared to 2024. Overall crime had fallen by 7%.
However, Trump dismissed these figures as “fake,” and Attorney General Pam Bondy vowed to investigate further. Last month, a DC Police Commander faced scrutiny for allegedly manipulating crime statistics to present a more positive trend.
