Six girls, ages 11 to 14, have been arrested in a brutal assault outside D.C.'s Union Station, police say.
Video on social media showed a group of kids repeatedly punching and kicking the woman after she walked out of the station, D.C. police said.
One girl recorded the assault and encouraged the other suspects to continue their attack, police said.
The group assaulted more people who tried to intervene. None of them were seriously injured, according to police.
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D.C. police learned about videos of assaults circulating on social media on Wednesday and then discovered the assault at Union Station was among the attacks posted online. Police haven't said when the assault happened.
Detectives identified two of the girls involved and arrested them both on Thursday, according to police. The girls, ages 11 and 13, were charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to riot, simple assault and disorderly conduct, police said.
On Friday, detectives arrested four more girls – ages 11, 12, 13 and 14. They were each charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and rioting.
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Detectives determined the attack may have been motivated by hate or bias, police said, so all six girls were charged with assault with a dangerous weapon (hate crime enhancement).
Five of the girls are from Northeast, while the 13-year-old arrested Friday is from Northwest.
“There is absolutely zero tolerance for this behavior in our city. Harming our community like this will result in your arrest and prosecution, no matter your age. It is on all of us who care for our young people to ensure they don’t follow this path," Chief of Police Pamela A. Smith said in a news release about the arrests.
Investigators are asking anyone who has information about the assault to call (202) 727-9099 or text a tip to 50411. Police are offering a reward of up to $1,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and indictment of the people responsible.
