There are very different accounts regarding a robbery on a Metro train in December.
A "witness" account posted on the UnsuckMetroDC blog made reference to armed gunmen boarding an Orange Line Metro train and robbing passengers at gunpoint.
Metro, however, said that's not what happened. The transit agency released a statement Thursday afternoon stating that two people reported that two males stole a cell phone and a shopping bag from them while they were on a train, and that there was no mention of a weapon.
Metro said that Metro Transit Police responded immediately to the report of the robbery and within 30 minutes the suspects were identified, arrested and the stolen property was recovered.
More from Metro's statement:
Police responded immediately to a call for robbery on an Orange Line train between Stadium-Armory and Minnesota Ave stations on Dec. 23. Two victims reported that while on board a train, two males stole a cell phone and a shopping bag containing recently purchased clothing and exited the train at Minnesota Avenue. The victims exited at the Cheverly station, where they reported the crime.
Metro Transit Police stopped the suspects in Northeast Washington, DC, near the Minnesota Avenue station a few minutes later and were able to get positive identification from the victims.
Police recovered the stolen property and charged the two 17-year-old males with robbery.
The victims did not report the use of a weapon during the incident. The victims were treated for minor lacerations at the station.
UnsuckMetroDC's "witness" said the alleged incident took place the night of Dec. 23. According to the witness account:
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"... six masked, armed men boarded a New Carrollton bound Orange Line at Stadium Armory and proceeded to rob -- at gunpoint -- passengers of their wallets, cell phones, iPods, shoes and other valuables. Three of the men entered through the front door of the car, and the other three entered through the last door of the same car. Some of the male passengers were ordered to the ground, and some of the robbers kicked them repeatedly. Some were kicked to the point that they were bleeding from their wounds, primarily head wounds."
Clearly there is a big difference between Metro's version and the unidentified witness account that was posted on the blog.
Metro said in its statement that the transit system's decision to reassign officers from administrative duty to stations, trains and buses helped make a difference in this case.
