A woman was attacked as she walked toward the entrance to Union Station Friday – and to make matters worse, she said security inside the building didn’t take her pleas for help seriously.
The victim, Nadia, said a group of men blocked her as she was trying to go inside to catch a train from D.C. to New York to visit her daughter.
“The guy, in front of me who's big and tall, and he bent over, and he would not let me go. I was trying, trying and trying. Then I saw other men surround me,” she said.
At one point, she said one of them had his hand in her purse. She pushed his hand away, continued to push through them, and somehow escaped the situation unharmed.
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“The experience, like I have now fear for myself, for my daughter because we travel a lot,” Nadia said.
She said she was also very upset because she screamed for police and others to help once she was inside the station, but no one responded.
“I was like speechless. I couldn't believe. Really, you ask people who work there for help. Nothing. Zero,” Nadia said.
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She’s sharing her story now in the hopes of raising awareness and highlighting the need for more police presence in and around the station.
“People should be protected by the police and feel safe to travel,” Nadia said.
Nadia said she did file a report with police, who assured her they would look for any footage to help with their investigation.
“I’m just happy that my mom is OK. I'm so thankful and feel very lucky. I think, had I been in the situation, I don't think I would be as brave as her,” her daughter said.
News4 has reached out to the Metropolitan Police Department but has not yet heard back.
