An embattled Washington, D.C. councilman recently told the press he was the victim of an assault that took place a few years ago; however, the incident’s corresponding police report contradicts key details of the councilman’s story.
Democratic Councilman Charles Allen, who supported defunding the police in 2020, spoke to The New York Times in March about a recall effort he is facing due to his positions on crime, at one point relaying an anecdote about how he was struck with a pistol during a recent assault and that his attackers discharged a firearm next to his head. A police report obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation, however, indicates that he gave officers a slightly different account than the one he relayed to NYT.
“Mr. Allen was assaulted and pistol-whipped a few years ago, he said, by two people who shot a gun right next to his head, neither of whom was ever caught,” the NYT’s story reads.
However, Allen reported the incident to D.C. police in 2006, nearly two decades ago and not “a few years ago” as he told the NYT. Also absent from Allen’s 2006 account to police is any mention of his assailants firing a gun right next to his head.
Allen told police that two individuals approached him and his wife, demanding that they turn over their belongings, according to the 2006 police report. His wife complied, handing over her items. (RELATED: Citizens Mount Recall Effort Against DC Councilman Who Backed ‘Defund The Police’ Efforts Amid Historic Crime Spike)
Allen initially pushed one of the muggers but complied after he saw one of his attackers was carrying a black handgun, according to the report. The individual with the handgun then struck Allen in the head with the weapon and fled. At no point does the police report mention the firing of a gun next to Allen’s head.
After relaying his story, Allen went on to tell the NYT that none of the violence in the district “was grounds for throwing him out.”
The Metropolitan Police Department confirmed to the DCNF that there were no other police reports matching the incident described by Allen to the NYT. Allen’s office did not respond to the DCNF’s multiple requests for comment.
In 2020, Charles Allen responded to protesters demanding he defund the police. Allen thanked and assured them stating:
“you’re going to see a budget put forward that put cuts at MPD”
“a reduction in MPD”
“[MPD’s budget] will be reduced” @recallallen #recallcharlesallen pic.twitter.com/ETvcVCeDGZ
— John Fubka (@JohnFubka) March 21, 2024
Allen has been in the media spotlight the past couple of months owing to the recall effort he faces regarding his legislative record on crime.
Recall Charles Allen, the political committee working to replace Allen, argues he “has systematically undermined the criminal justice and public safety system that made D.C. one of the safest big cities in America for more than a decade.”
The recall effort points to legislation he authored that reduced prison sentences for young violent criminals and his efforts to decrease funding for the Metropolitan Police Department by $15 million in 2020.
Homicide in D.C. trended upwards after Allen’s police budget cuts were approved by his colleagues on the council. There were 198 homicides in the city during 2020, increasing to 274 by 2023, according to police data.
Neighbors United for Ward 6, which supports Allen, accuses the recall effort of misleading voters about Allen’s record, pointing to his shepherding of new gun control policies and recent measures he supported to increase the number of police in the district.
The D.C. Police Union has been critical of Allen, blaming him for the shortage of officers in the district and, in an October 2023 advertisement, accusing him of leading the charge to pass “the most pro-criminal, anti-police legislation that D.C. has ever seen.”
Allen has at times called for a more muscular police presence to address crime in D.C.
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