Man Attacked in Red Line Metro Station; 6 Teenagers Arrested

A group of at least six teenagers beat and kicked a man in a downtown D.C. Metro station during rush hour Thursday morning, police said.

Five boys and one girl, all 16 or 17, were arrested at the Woodley Park Metro station after Metro Transit Police said they pounced on the man in the Gallery Place-Chinatown station.

Metro Transit Police Chief Ron Pavlik said he and riders were disturbed by the assault.

"It's troubling when you see this kind of wolf pack mentality," he said. "The victim clearly was trying to get to his destination."

Chief says this type of "wolf pack mentality" is troubling. All teens involved went to Wilson High School #wmata @nbcwashington
— Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss) January 28, 2016

The 35-year-old victim, who had been headed to work, was exiting a Red Line train about 8:20 a.m. when a teen who was part of a group of as many as 30 youths tried to board the train and then sucker punched him, police said. The victim swung back, and the teens lunged at him.

"These kids, 10 of them, at least 10, [were] just stomping him, hitting him," witness Leanne Wiggins said. "I could hear people screaming but no one doing anything."

The teens then got back on the train, leaving the victim injured on the platform, police said.

Surveillance video of the attack shows a group of people rush onto an already-crowded Metro platform.

Transit police intercepted the train at the Woodley Park station and arrested the teens, who all are Woodrow Wilson High School students, police said. The teens are expected to be charged with felony assault.