A D.C. woman says her calls for help went unanswered after an attempted robbery. A 28-year-old woman claims someone wearing a ski mask pulled out a gun and attempted to rob her in Northeast on Sunday night.
The robber ran away shortly afterwards, but when the woman tried to call the police, she was hung up on twice and on the third attempt, received a recording. The woman claims that she was explaining the situation on the phone and received a response saying, “I am going to hang up in 30 seconds”.
Eventually, the victim’s landlord called the police and they arrived shortly thereafter. The D.C. Office of Communication, which handles 911 calls, issued a statement saying that the woman’s calls were registered, but upon investigation, only the call taker’s voice was heard on the recording. This occurred despite repeated requests for the caller to identify herself and her emergency.
Two separate call takers received the same silence when the woman attempted to call for help. The center believes there is a possibility that the woman’s cellphone was muted or that there is a problem with her cellphone carrier. The center says its system is working properly and that nearly 3,500 calls were answered that same day.
