A judge sentenced two brothers for their involvement in a four-person “vigilante mob” robbery in which a man on Metro was beaten by three men and a boy.
The judge said the men laughed as they left a Metro station with stolen credit cards and a phone. Less than two hours later, the group boarded a Metrobus and robbed another man.
Antwan Haynie, 19, was sentenced to seven years in prison for robbery. His brother, Marcus James Lee, 21, was sentenced to six years for robbery.
The first victim, who was beaten and robbed on a Red Line train headed toward Wheaton, told News4 that he lost his job because of the attack.
“I no longer use the Metro. I no longer take the bus,” he said, “At any moment, I feel like I’m going to get attacked.”
News4 reported that about 5:40 p.m. Sunday, April 16, four suspects went up to a man on a train as the train approached the Wheaton station. One suspect sat next to the man and said, “I need you to give me the password for that phone and look the other way, otherwise it will not end well for you,” according to police.
When the man refused to give them his phone, multiple suspects began punching his face and head, police said.
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Metro police said one suspect told the man "Give me that damn phone!"
During the beating, the suspects went through the man's pockets and stole several of his credit and debit cards.
The suspects ran off the train and out of the station once the train stopped, police said.
The victim was taken to a hospital, News4 reported.
The group then boarded a Q1 Metro bus and continued their crime spree. In Silver Spring, they surrounded a man who was headed home on the bus. They beat him and stole his iPhone.
One adult and a juvenile were already sentenced for the robberies.
“The two of you have brought shame to your family because you decided to act like a vigilante mob of some kind,” Montgomery County judge Cheryl McCally said. “This community is not going to be held hostage by thugs terrorizing them. There’s a price to pay.”
One victim, who asked not to be identified, said he was satisfied with the sentences but won’t ride buses or trains alone anymore.
