Washington Wizards, Capitals plan to depart DC as crime crisis intensifies; Youngkin celebrates move

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin discusses two Washington, D.C. sports teams reportedly planning on moving to his state on 'The Ingraham Angle.'

As the crime wave gripping the United States intensifies, the owner of two of Washington, D.C.'s major league sports teams joined Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin to announce a move across the Potomac to a yet-to-be-constructed complex in Alexandria.

"Ingraham Angle" host Laura Ingraham, a longtime Washington-area resident, said it is clear that "crime was part of this decision" to bring the teams to Virginia come 2028.

"I was in D.C. when the [then-]Verizon Center… was built, and I saw how that area of D.C. was totally revitalized… Crime has been a major problem in this city really since before COVID," she said. "That had to be part of the decision as well — nobody wants to go downtown."

A USA Today "For the Win" column also noted the spike in crime in the District's Chinatown neighborhood where the now-Capital One Arena is located, but also reported a $36 million mortgage-type payment on the site has been weighing on team owner Ted Leonsis.

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Virginia gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin holds a campaign event in Amherst, Va., October 28, 2021. (Fox News/Charles Creitz)

Leonsis and Youngkin, along with Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Alexandria Democratic Mayor Justin Wilson, came together for an announcement this week, and Leonsis stated his intention is to "expand here and keep Capital One Arena in D.C. a great place."

Youngkin told Fox News it has been an "exciting day for Virginia," as the deal was forged to move the teams to the new Potomac Yard area next to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The site recently