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Metro Emergency Button by Mr. T in DC
By now, I am certain that you have seen the video, or heard about the incident that took place at L’Enfant Metro this past weekend, where a man was beaten by a group of teenagers while they took video of the incident. Metro has now issued a statement after the fact condemning the incident. It’s after the break.
The Metro Transit Police Department is seeking assistance from the public and encourages anyone who witnessed or has information about an assault at L’Enfant Plaza on Sunday, Jan. 2, about 7:15 p.m. to please call the Metro Transit Police Detective Branch at 202-962-1792.
This was an unfortunate incident and the MTPD is following up with an investigation. After the assault, the man reported it to the station manager on duty at L’Enfant Plaza who immediately notified the police. A Metro Transit Police officer responded, immediately took a report from the man and began the investigation. The victim received minor injuries and declined medical assistance.
If customers witness a fight or are the victim of an assault, they should immediately report the incident to the Metro Transit Police by calling 202-962-2121 or notify a Metro employee. Customers also can use emergency call buttons on every rail car which connect the caller to the train operator. On platforms emergency call buttons on pylons contact a station manager.
The Metro Transit Police Department will increase its patrols at L’Enfant Plaza station, and be watchful of groups of young passengers approaching other customers.
We join MTPD and WMATA in condemning the brutal beating of the passenger, and further add a strong “Seriously, people, WTF is wrong with you?!” to their statement. More horrifying about this issue is that no one on the platform helped this guy while they were whaling on him. People, we’re in this together, help each other out once in a blue moon, alright?
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
This isn’t really surprising – incidents like this happen on the Metro daily these days, people just don’t bring it to the attention of Metro station managers (who are generally useless) or the media (because they don’t want to have their lives consumed by this one incident). I doubt anything will become of this “report” and “investigation.” I’ve seen groups of young teens (why aren’t they in school?) bullying other passengers multiple times in the past few months. What upsets me most is the people who videotape the incident while doing nothing to stop it. It’s sad that it has gotten to this point – no one deserves to be treated like this. If you see something happening, get involved and stop it.