Rep. Henry Cuellar carjacked at gunpoint in Washington, D.C.

Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat of Texas, said he was carjacked by three armed assailants while returning to his home in Washington's Navy Yard neighborhood Monday night.

Cuellar's chief of staff confirmed the incident in a statement late Monday evening, and the congressman detailed what happened to reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning.

"I was just coming into my place. Three guys came out of nowhere and they pointed guns at me. I do have a black belt, but I recognize when you got three guns — I looked at one with a gun, another with a gun, a third one behind me. So they said they wanted my car. I said, 'Sure,'" Cuellar recounted.

Cuellar said he remained calm throughout the encounter, and the car and its contents, including his phone, were recovered within two hours.

"They recovered the car. They recovered everything. What really got me upset was they took my sushi," the Texas Democrat said.

Cuellar said the three assailants were wearing masks but "you could still see that they were young." He said he didn't think they knew he was a congressman.

D.C. Metropolitan Police confirmed that they received a report of an armed carjacking around 9:30 p.m. Monday night around New Jersey Avenue and K Street, and that the victim was a member of Congress. 

U.S. Capitol Police has taken over the investigation. In a statement, the agency said a witness reported that the carjackers wore "knit caps and ski masks," and were "5'10" black males who may have been around the age of 16 due to their build." 

Capitol Police said the car, a white Toyota crossover, was recovered about 3.5 miles south of Cuellar's residence, in Southeast D.C. Cuellar's phone was recovered about a half a mile from where the car was found.

Cuellar said several other members of Congress live in his building, which is less than a mile away from the Capitol.