Rep Henry Cuellar says worst part of carjacking was stolen sushi

Congressman Henry Cuellar was carjacked, and had something very dear to him taken from his vehicle.

His sushi.

Mr Cuellar was asked about his recent bout with a carjacker during a Monday MSNBC broadcast.

He explained that assailants in Washington DC’s Navy Yard neighbourhood approached him outside his apartment and stole his car. He described the carjackers as "young punks with guns" as he described handing his keys over to the thieves.

He said the DC Metro Police eventually recovered his car and his other valuables.

“Within a couple hours, they were able to recover my phone and my car. Everything got returned,” Mr Cuellar said. “I want to thank the Capitol Police and the Metro Police for doing their job, and that’s one of the reasons I support law enforcement because they really do a good job.”

However, one item did not make it back.

"Like I said, they were able to recover the car and my phone within a couple hours, I wanna thank them. But what really got me upset, is that they stole my sushi!" he told MSNBC's Jose Diaz-Balart. "That’s what got me upset."

"They took your car and your sushi" Diaz-Balart said, returning the congressman's levity.

The interviewer then asked if the thieves had been caught.

Mr Cuellar said he did not know, but said he had heard from the district's mayor, Muriel Bowser, that police were still trying to find them.

The DC Metro Police released a statement saying they were "focused, determined, and working around the clock" to track down the carjackers.

“I hope they do catch them because they do need to be prosecuted,” Mr Cuellar said.

Despite his levity, other politicos in the district weren't laughing. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the carjacking "unacceptable" and told reporters that Joe Biden had reached out to offer support to the congressman.

“We will always continue to speak out against any sort of violence. We’ve been consistent here in this administration,” she said. “We are certainly grateful and relieved that the congressman is unharmed, and we are thankful to law enforcement for having reacted so quickly.”

Carjackings have skyrocketed in the district this year. According to DC Metro Police statistics, there have been 753 carjackings reported this year, versus 360 during the same period last year. Of those, 113 arrests have been made relating to carjacking, and two-thirds of those arrests have been juveniles.