'Smash-and-grabs are common occurrence': Walle calls attention to high criminal activity on Washington Avenue

A Houston lawmaker recently attested to the high crime problem on the popular Houston Washington Avenue thoroughfare.

Washington Avenue, the site of numerous bars and restaurants, features a lively nightlife but the area has reportedly been experiencing an increase in crime. Houston Police Department representatives have promised to increase patrols in the area, but say that they'll need assistance from the community to stop the violence, ABC 13 News reported.

State Rep. Armando Walle (D-Houston) recently took to Twitter to point out the area as a hotspot for criminal activity.

"Our law office is on Washington Avenue and smash-and-grabs are common occurrence," Walle wrote in a June 9 Twitter post.

On June 8, a drive-by shooting at a hookah bar along the Washington Avenue corridor injured five people, according to ABC 13 News. Three men and two women were shot and each had non-life threatening injuries. Investigators say that three Hispanic males fired into the bar from a black four-door car after being denied entry by a security guard.

As of June 9, the City of Houston has experienced approximately 200 homicides so far for the year, a 35% increase from 2020.

Rep. Ann Johnson and council member Abbie Kamin tweeted an announcement of a neighborhood cleanup of Washington Avenue.