DC Mayor Muriel Bowser slammed for ‘tone deaf’ tweet about auto theft after UberEats driver carjacker death
WASHINGTON DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has being slammed for posting a "tone deaf" tweet following the death of UberEats driver that was carjacked.
The tweet, which was shared on the Mayor's account on Sunday and featured a video on safety tips to prevent auto theft, was branded "victim blaming" by critics.
Bowser's tweet, which has seemingly since been deleted, included a video from the Metropolitan Police Department in on auto safety, screenshots show.
"Auto theft is a crime of opportunity. Follow these steps to reduce the risk of your vehicle becoming a target," the tweet said.
"Remember the motto, #ProtectYourAuto."
The tweet appears to have been deleted from the mayor's account as of Sunday evening.
Screenshots continued to circulate, however, as people slammed the timing and labeled it as "victim blaming" in wake of the death of driver .
Disturbing footage shows how Anwar was thrown from his car after a carjacking, as two girls sped off with him clinging on to the vehicle before crashing and killing him.
One person told Bowser to "do better."
"This tweet is ill-timed and tone-deaf. Remove it and post condolences instead," they tweeted.
"Muriel Bowser should've thought ahead before she wrote this tweet," one person wrote.
Another person called the tweet "truly disgusting."
"Instead of blaming [Mohammad] Anwar for getting his car stolen and murdered by the 13 and 15 year old girls, you should be addressing why those murderous teens had enough psychopathic rage that they killed an innocent man," they wrote.
"Victim blaming. You keep finding new lows," one person tweeted.
Another person wrote: "Horrible timing on this clearly scheduled tweet. And even if Mohammed Anwar wasn't dead, carjackings are a plague in DC – there isn't a lot you can do wrt risk reduction besides simply not driving a car. This was broad daylight."
The Mayor's office did not immediately respond to The Sun for comment.
When asked about the carjacking during a press conference on Thursday, Bowser said it's "tragic, senseless, heinous, ridiculous," reported.
She added that Robert Contee, the DC police chief, is working on a carjacking task force.
The force will include both regional and federal agencies, the mayor said.
MPD said a 13-year-old and 15-year-old were charged with felony murder and carjacking after the Tuesday incident.
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Graphic video captured the 90-second interaction as as two girls pushed into the car.
Anwar yelled "they're thieves" and "this is my car!" as he tried to pull one girl out of the driver sea.
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The vehicle accelerated, however – with Anwar hanging on.
As the car crashed into a metal fence, it crushed Anwar between a barrier and the car door.