No One Knows Shit About Target Crimes

OK. Late Monday, Prince of Petworth posted a blog item on the rumors going around that people were getting robbed after leaving the new Target. Everyone--including City Desk chased those rumors.

We got word from Councilmember Jim Graham's office that the rumors were bullshit.

Then came WTOP's report of a teenage arrested for multiple robberies around the Columbia Heights Metro stop.

And finally, Prince of Petworth actually heard from a real cop dishing a real scoop. Acting Third District Inspector Edward Delgado e-mailed this:

What you hear are rumors regarding this incident that have no bearing or merit. What actually occurred was that store employees that were caught stealing from the Target. Rumors like this cast a negative light on Columbia Heights and will discourage developers and new home owners from investing in Columbia Heights.

Tonight we reached Acting Inspector Delgado. Guess what? His email, he says now, is utterly false. Here's what he had to say: “I researched it a little more. That turned out not to be true. There’s a lot of rumors circulating around this target store. Nothing happened at the Target store.”

No employees arrested? “No. I searched all the police reports that we have at the third district and I didn’t see anything.”

Why send out the email? “That was what I was told. I took that as gospel and I was wrong.”

Delgado says he heard the information of the robberies from another officer. He says he now regrets sending out that e-mail.

Jesus.

Delgado assures that there has not been a spike in crime around the new Target.