Metro traffic on two lines was delayed Wednesday morning because a suspect in a shooting near police headquarters jumped onto the tracks and ran, police say.
Metro Transit police believe the man, Mamadou Seck, shot another man Tuesday evening near 3rd and D streets NW. The victim was found laying in the southbound entry ramp to the I-395 tunnel, a police report says.
On Wednesday, Seck jumped off an upper Metro platform in an attempt to escape, and two men leaped onto the tracks to try to help him.
Within minutes of the shooting Tuesday, police learned that a man matching Seck's description had entered the Judiciary Square Metro station, which is located near the scene of the shooting.
A surveillance photo of the suspect was shared with Metro Transit Police, and on Wednesday morning, officers spotted the man at the Gallery Place Metro station, on the upper platform for the Red Line. When officers approached him, the man jumped over a low wall, falling several feet onto the tracks that serve the Green and Yellow lines.
"They go to confront him. They have a brief conversation. At that point in time, he flees and jumps over the parapet wall," Metro Transit Police Chief Ron Pavlik Jr. said.
Surveillance video shows the man fall and land dangerously close to the electrified third rail. Two men rush onto the tracks to help him. Ted Kim was one of those men. He said he knew they all could be hit by a train.
"I saw a train that's about to come. You could see the light in the tunnel. And I thought maybe I would have about 10 second to maybe move this man," Kim recounted.
Francisco Santiago Torres was the other man who jumped on the tracks to help.
"All of a sudden, I see the individual falling into the tracks," Santiago Torres said. "I don't think I even remember about the rails, I just jumped into action to, like, move him out of the rails."
The man can be seen in surveillance footage running a short distance on the track before he suddenly stops. It's not clear why he stopped running.
Metro Transit Police say the officers called to have power to the electrified third-rail turned off, and sprinted down the escalator to catch the man.
Video from the scene shows two men in street clothes holding a man down on the Metro tracks as two Metro Transit police officers in bright yellow shirts arrest him.
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Seck was found with a semiautomatic handgun and taken to a hospital with a leg injury, police said. He was charged with assault with intent to kill, possession of an unregistered gun and unlawful entry.
Metro service on the Green Line and Yellow Line was briefly delayed in both directions at about 8 a.m. because of the incident.
Seck is believed to be responsible for the shooting Tuesday near 3rd and D streets NW, close to Metropolitan Police Department headquarters. Multiple people called 911 at about 6:15 p.m., a police report says.
The southbound I-395 tunnel was closed during rush hour as officers searched for evidence.
Information on the shooting victim's condition was not immediately available.
