In a dramatic turn of events, the Washington police have taken into custody a 28-year-old man from Maryland, identified as Charles Joseph Ali. He faces charges after allegedly launching a beer keg through the front window of Georgetown Cupcake, a beloved bakery spotlighted by a reality TV series.
Ali, a resident of Rockville, Maryland, is accused of felony destruction of property following the Sunday night incident at the renowned bakery located at the bustling junction of M and 33rd Streets. The establishment gained national attention through its feature on Discovery’s “DC Cupcakes,” which aired for three seasons. Known for its delectable treats, the shop often attracts lines of eager customers stretching down the block. Owned by sisters Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Berman, Georgetown Cupcake represents their bold leap from careers in finance and fashion into the culinary world.
In addition to this high-profile vandalism, Ali is suspected to be involved in another April incident targeting a different business, though charges have not yet been filed in that case. Both incidents are part of an ongoing investigation.
The Metropolitan Police Department is actively seeking assistance from the public to identify the suspect believed responsible for a series of vandalism acts along M Street in Georgetown, including the attack on Georgetown Cupcake.
The Metropolitan Police Department asked for the public’s help identifying this man, who is accused of a string of vandalism attacks on M Street in Georgetown, including the famous bakery, Georgetown Cupcake. (Metropolitan Police Department)
The bakery was featured on Discovery’s “DC Cupcakes” for three seasons, and the shop is known for long lines that stretch down the block. The owners, Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Berman, are sisters who quit careers in finance and fashion to launch the family business.
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“Our shop is open,” the said in a joint statement Thursday after Ali’s arrest. “We will keep doing what we have always done.”
Georgetown Cupcake owners were seeking public assistance to identify a vandal who threw a beer keg through the bakery’s front window while employees were inside. (Georgetown Cupcake)
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They were barely closed — reopening hours after the attack with a plywood board covering the shattered window.
Berman told Fox News Digital earlier this week that a lone female employee came face-to-face with the keg tosser around 11:30 p.m. Sunday. She fled to the back of the shop, afraid of what he might do.
The Metropolitan Police Department was asking for the public’s help identifying this man, who is accused of a string of vandalism attacks on M Street in Georgetown, including the famous bakery, Georgetown Cupcake. (Metropolitan Police Department)
He left after breaking the window, however, surveillance video shows.
“She was absolutely terrified,” Berman said. “She still is. She is really shaken by this. It causes a lot of psychological damage to you.”
Earlier, the suspect first tried and failed to rip up a metal trash can from the curb, according to Berman. He went around the corner and came back with a keg that was outside a nearby home, she said, citing additional surveillance video recovered by neighboring businesses.
“He’s violent, and I think that, to be honest with you, in our society, we live in a civil society where there’s an expectation for us to respect each other, our property, and clearly he didn’t do any of those things,” Berman told Fox News Digital.
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