By Arul Louis

New York, Mar 11 (IANS): An Indian-origin doctor has been killed by persons who allegedly stole his Mercedes Benz and hit him with the car, according to Washington police.

Police said that the suspect entered Rakesh Patel's car when he was outside it and hit him while fleeing in the vehicle on Tuesday.

Police have announced a $25,000 reward for the capture of the person/s who were involved in the killing.

While the car was recovered, the suspects had not been captured as of Thursday.

WJLA TV said that when Patel, 33, stepped out of his car to give his girlfriend a package, the thieves entered the car started to drive away.

"In a panic, he ran after them somehow getting in front of the car. The car thieves ran him down killing him" while his "girlfriend watched in horror", the TV station reported.

According to NBC4 Washington TV, Patel's father and two siblings are also doctors.

He was the youngest child and his mother Charulatta Patel told the station: "I always used to call him my baby".

Calling the killing senseless, she asked: "For what? A car"?

Washington, like places across the US, has seen a huge spike in carjackings, vehicle thefts and major crimes in the aftermath of anti-police protests that followed the killing of an African-American man by police two years ago in Minnesota.

The Washington Post reported that carjackings in Washington "spiked 200 per cent from 2019 to 2021, and continue to rise this year".

Last March, a Pakistani food delivery person was killed by two girls, 13 and 15 years old, who carjacked his car.