A Metro Transit Police Department officer was assaulted Tuesday afternoon with a “sharp metal object” at the Navy Yard Metro station and was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, MTPD said.
The officer was stopping a fare evasion suspect, according to MTPD, when the suspect turned and assaulted the officer.
The officer suffered sustained lacerations and puncture wounds to the face, and the suspect was detained by other nearby officers, MTPD said.
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At the time of the assault, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was on his way to the Navy Yard Metro station for a meeting about transit safety, according to a post from Duffy on X.
In the post, he announced that he will be meeting with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority CEO to address the incident and “any other questions” riders have.
“These acts of senseless violence are exactly why @USDOT is fighting to re-secure our transit systems and crack down on violent crime,” Duffy said in the post.
The assaulted officer "remains on duty and well," WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke said in a post on X responding to Duffy's.
"We are charging the suspect w/ Assault of LEO & ask he be prosecuted," Clarke said in the post. "I appreciate any assistance in further reducing our 7 yr low crime rate."
