A man who was attacked by another man on Metro last month said he no longer feels safe on Metro -- and some of that has to do more with a dispatcher's response than the attack itself.
The assailant was screaming obscenities, and headbutted and punched him on a train near the Smithsonian station, the victim said.
He didn't want to reveal his identity for his own safety, but he told News4's Darcy Spencer that when he got off the train, he asked the train conductor and station manager for help. He said the conductor seemed to ignore him, and the station manager didn't say anything to him, although the victim later learned he did call police.
The victim called Metro Transit Police himself, but it took 15 minutes for an officer to show up.
He later found out the dispatcher, who refused to call for a D.C. officer, sent a Metro Transit officer from Alexandria instead, even though the incident took place in the District.
The man said a deputy chief of Metro Transit Police told him the dispatcher should have called D.C. police to assist since it was a crime in progress.
The victim wrote an opinion piece in the Sunday edition of the Washington Post, demanding an investigation into the incident and those involved.
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He’s asking for victims of similar situations to come forward by emailing Metro, and CCing his address, dcmetrosafety@gmail.com.
In the meantime, he's filed a formal complaint. The alleged assailant has been arrested and charged.
