DC Superior Court Judge Deborah Israel issued a bench warrant on July 25 for the arrest of a carjacking defendant who lost contact with the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) and failed to appear in court.
Manuel Alvarado, 42, is charged with unarmed carjacking for his alleged involvement in an incident that occurred on the 1500 block of 7th Street, SE, on April 26, 2023.
According to arrest documents, the victim told police he stopped his car to help the defendant, who was rolling around in the middle of the street, apparently under the influence of drugs. The defendant allegedly jumped into the victim’s car and drove away.
Court documents state that a Vienna Police Department officer observed the car later the same day, crashed in the front yard of a residence in Vienna, Virginia. An hour and a half later, Fairfax County police found Alvarado a mile and a half from the crash, suffering from multiple broken bones.
At a hearing on June 2, DC Superior Court Judge Heide Herrman released Alvarado from custody so he could respond to a warrant for his arrest in Virginia while receiving drug testing and mental health assessments under the supervision of PSA.
PSA subsequently reported to the court that Alvarado was not complying with his release conditions and they had lost contact with him.
When Alvarado missed his July 25 hearing, the prosecutor requested a bench warrant, which Judge Israel granted.
Parties will reconvene when Alvarado is taken into custody.
