D.C. Metro officer allegedly assaulted, assailant runs off on tracks
WASHINGTON There are normal delays on metro, the sort of incidents passengers have come to expect, and then there’s what happened Friday evening at the Foggy Bottom station, CBS affiliate WUSA reports.
“I didn’t know what was going on, I just knew we stopped but I thought it was normal, I don’t really take this metro that often,” said Brooke O’Donnell, a passenger.
Nope this was not a normal delay.
Metro officials say it was around 6:30 p.m. when a man inside the Foggy Bottom station simply walked up to a Metro Transit Officer assaulted him and then took off, jumping down on to the tracks and disappearing into the tunnel.
“It’s just getting ridiculous out here, all this violence in the city,” complained Pamela Brooks, a D.C. native.
When several other transit officers responded they too jumped down onto the tracks and chased the man down, eventually catching and arresting him.
As all this was going down, Katie Mclane was walking up to Foggy Bottom to meet a friend who was on a train.
When McLane saw all the police, she feared the worst.
“I was worried that something might have happened to compromise her safety. I was kinda scared,” said McLane, after embracing her friend outside Foggy Bottom.
Passengers were delayed for about 20 minutes due to the alleged assault.
“I’m not that concerned about safety on the metro. I know that things happen,” said another passenger who was also delayed Friday night.
Then there are people like Pamela Brooks who is simply fed up.
“I’m sick of it,” said Brooks, “I don’t ride it too much and that’s one of the reasons why.”
It is still unclear why the man allegedly assaulted the officer. Metro Transit police are still investigating the incident.