A top talent at ABC News admitted she was recently the victim of a violent crime in Washington, D.C., underscoring the need for a greater law enforcement presence in the nation’s capital.
Kyra Phillips, who has been with the network since 2018, recalled on Monday her recent encounter with a “half-dressed” man who mugged her in downtown D.C. She cited the instance as a “firsthand” experience felt by many others as they brave the pedestrian commute to work each day. The New York Post reported.
“I can tell you firsthand here in downtown DC, where we work, right here around our bureau, just in the past six months, you know, there were two people shot, one person died, literally two blocks down here from the bureau,” Phillips explained.
“It was within the last two years that I actually was jumped walking just two blocks down from here,” she revealed.
“And then, just this morning, one of my co-workers said her car was stolen, a block away from the bureau,” Phillips added.
“We can talk about the numbers going down, but crime is happening every single day because we’re all experiencing it firsthand, working and living down here,” the “ABC News Live” host continued while reporting on President Trump’s decision to bring thousands of soldiers and FBI agents into Washington to patrol the city’s streets at night.
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She later described the experience as “scary as hell” while interviewing U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
“So, I was jumped just two blocks here from the ABC bureau. It was not a minor, though,” she told Pirro, noting that “it’s happened to a lot of people in our building, sadly.”
“He was homeless and half-dressed — clearly wasn’t in his clear mind,” Phillips said, describing her attacker.
Phillips, who previously worked for CNN, said she felt the best option at the time was to fight back.
“It was scary as hell, I’m not going to lie, but I fought back. I didn’t see any weapons in his hands. I felt like it was my only choice,” she revealed.
Other Washington-based media figures also acknowledged that Trump’s crime crackdown is overdue.
Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough criticized his Democrat “friends” who, he said, have privately admitted that “Washington should have gotten involved years ago” to address D.C.’s crime “mess,” yet publicly took to Twitter to express outrage over Trump’s announcement of a federal crackdown.
“People have been calling me over the past couple days, going, you know: ‘Washington, should have gotten involved years ago. This place is dangerous. It’s a mess. It’s a wreck’ and whatever. And then they’ll go on Twitter, go: ‘This is the worst outrage of all time, these shocking—’” Scarborough said.
“Which I understand, it’s like people need to express their concerns about Donald Trump going too far. We saw what happened back in 2020 with the National Guard. Certainly can’t have any repeat of that. Don’t want the federalization of the entire city,” he continued. “But man, I don’t care what the crime statistics say. Crime has been a problem in this city for the 32 years I’ve been living inside and outside of the city.
“Mika and I, we’re talking to somebody who lives in the city, these are all Democrats who said, ‘you know, our friends won’t walk more than three blocks in D.C. at night without feeling…’ – complete opposite of New York City, where I walk 40-50 blocks at night and not think twice about it in New York City, in Midtown, Downtown. I mean, New York is a safe, safe place,” he added.
“Washington, D.C.? Man, it’s door-to-door. I mean, I get one of those bikes – you know me, I love riding the bikes around – I’ll ride around, and I go door to door. I don’t slow down. It’s very dangerous there,” the host noted.
James Jenkins is a celebrated Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose work has reshaped the way readers think about social justice and human rights in America. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia, James grew up in a community that instilled in him both resilience and a strong sense of responsibility toward others. After studying political science and creative writing at Howard University, he worked as a journalist covering civil rights issues before dedicating himself fully to fiction. His novels are known for their sharp, empathetic portraits of marginalized communities and for weaving personal stories with broader political realities. Jenkins’s breakout novel, Shadows of Freedom, won national acclaim for its unflinching look at systemic inequality, while his more recent works explore themes of identity, resilience, and the fight for dignity in the face of oppression. Beyond his novels, James is an active public speaker, lecturing at universities and participating in nonprofit initiatives that support literacy and community empowerment. He believes that storytelling is a way to preserve history and inspire change. When not writing, James enjoys jazz music, mentoring young writers, and traveling with his family to explore cultures and stories around the world.
