A man who was trying to call police to stop a group of teens from attacking another teen became the victim of the group himself, in the latest incident of an innocent rider attacked on the Metro system.
The Friday evening beating at the Suitland Metro station on the Green Line in Prince George's County has prompted the Guardian Angels to conduct even more patrols in the transit system, both in their signature red berets and out of uniform. The volunteer safety group had stepped up its patrols in January after an attack of an innocent bystander at the L'Enfant Plaza station. Now local Guardian Angel leader John Ayala said his crews are willing to put themselves in harm's way to stop the violence.
"The attacks are out of control," Ayala wrote in an e-mail. "It's time for the community to do their part to make the Metro safe for everyone."
The latest case highlights the tension faced by riders who don't have a safety patrol backing them up: Do they risk danger if they seek help or intervene?
| P.G. exec concerned about Metro crime |
| Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker said he's concerned about crime on the Metro as he works to attract developers to build around the stations. |
| "As we do transit-oriented development, we push people to go on the Metro, we have to make sure that it is safe," he said Tuesday. |
| Four of the five most dangerous stations are in Prince George's County: New Carrollton, Branch Avenue, Greenbelt and Prince George's Plaza, according to 2010 Metro statistics. |
| Baker, who said his son was once robbed at a Metro station, said on TBD's "NewsTalk" that he plans to talk with Metro CEO Richard Sarles about better coordination among police agencies. - Alex Pappas |
"We regularly remind our customers that if they see something to say something. At the same time, we never want our customers to put themselves in harm's way," spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said in an e-mail. "Here is an instance where a customer saw something and was attempting to do the right thing by reporting it, and unfortunately he became a victim."
The attack began when a teen, who had an ongoing dispute with a group of other teens, hit one of the group members, Farbstein said. The group responded and started to beat up the first teen.
But when the adult tried to call 911, she said, the group turned on him. NBC Washington, which first reported the incident, identified the man as Robert Joy and said he ended up with two front teeth knocked out, eight stitches and a black eye.
Farbstein said others also called police. The station manager used the kiosk phone to reach transit police, she said, and police received other calls from bystanders and other Metro employees.
No arrests had been made as of Tuesday, but Farbstein said police are still investigating and following up leads.
The transit system has been grappling with increasing teen violence and crime throughout the system. Metro arrested 507 juveniles in 2010, one-fourth of all arrests and a 9 percent increase over 2009, according to the agency.
The agency has been redeploying officers to hot spots when schools let out. And D.C. officials are considering limiting the hours of the city's subsidized student transit passes to help curb the violence on nights and weekends.
