Metro Rider: Woman on Train Attacked Riders for 30 Minutes

The rider says a Metro employee told him he should have "been more of a man" and handled the situation himself

Robert Bean says his ride on Metro's Green Line on Thursday was his worst ever.

Bean got on a train at the Navy Yard station that was going toward Branch Avenue. He said a woman sitting right behind him began hitting other passengers.

"The pregnant woman, who was having medical issues, was right here being restrained by another gentleman on the [train], because she continued to repeatedly hit a woman sitting directly in that seat right there facing forward. She just continued to attack her from behind," Bean said.

Bean said he reported the ongoing attack on the intercom to the train operator, but no Metro Transit police officers appeared until about six stops later, when the train reached the end of the line.

"When I was about to board the escalator, that was when I looked to the employees and I was like, 'We've been on the train for a half an hour now with this person having medical issues, insulting passengers, like, somebody should have really done something about it. And his response was, I should have been more of a man and done something about it myself," he said.

Bean said he felt insulted and embarassed by the employee's comments.

Metro said police stopped the woman and got a warrant for her arrest. Metro did not address what Bean said the employee said. 

Metro said it took police only 10 minutes from when they received the emergency call to arrive at the Branch Avenue station.

In an update Monday, Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said passengers used the intercom and the train operator acknowledged the call and then contacted central communications. Metro Transit Police were informed of the situation less than a minute later. 

"It appears that all equipment was working as intended and that all proper procedures were followed," Stessel said in an email.

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