A D.C. man tried to rape a woman during a terrifying attack on a Red Line Metro train Thursday afternoon, police said.
The victim got on the train at Glenmont to go to D.C. for a college class, according to charging documents. She noticed 23-year-old Mekhi Thomas board the train at Wheaton. They two were the only people in the car.
Just after noon, Thomas asked the victim for the time before exposing himself and rubbing himself against her, according to police.
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According to the court affidavit, she tried to push him away, but he pulled her out of her seat, and they fell to the ground.
The defendant then attempted to get on top of her and tried to take off her shirt, police said. She pushed him away, and he took her phone from her hand.
Thomas got off the train at the Silver Spring Station, where cameras got a good shot of him, police said.
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The victim contacted police, who received the images of the suspect while tracking the victim’s phone.
Less than an hour after the assault, police arrested Thomas in the 8600 block of Flower Avenue.
Thomas is charged with attempted rape, assault, robbery and other charges. He is being held without bond. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had a lawyer.
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