A recent string of violent attacks in D.C. has officials searching for suspects, following at least eight attacks since late November at Metro stations and bus stops, most involving small gangs of teenagers and young adults.
The most recent attack occurred early Wednesday close to the Rhode Island-Brentwood station on the Red Line when four teens allegedly set off a fire extinguisher and smoke bombs in a Metro car, according to a rider’s Twitter account.
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At least seven assaults took place on Metro lines, while another occurred close to a Metro bus stop.
The first attack happened less than a week before Thanksgiving leaving a 43-year-old Gaithersburg man in the hospital with head trauma. Joseph Cowart and his partner, Calvin Lawrence, 48, were traveling to their home in Gaithersburg Nov. 22 at around 1 a.m. on the Green Line, when Cowart was attacked by as many as a dozen teenagers.
“When I first noticed something was going on, they were taunting [Cowart],” Lawrence said. “The girl hit him in the head and the boys came out of nowhere–I ran in the middle of those 12 kids to help him up and they dispersed.” ...