A 13-year-old girl is safe and with family after police asked for the public's help while investigating a possible abduction that was caught on surveillance video.
Metro Transit Police released the video on Saturday morning showing a man forcibly pulling the girl — who police initially identified as a woman – off an idling Metrobus at the Anacostia Metro station in Southeast DC late Friday. She was then shoved into a nearby car.
In the video, a man can be seen jogging up to the bus, entering through the open front door and then making his way to the back where the girl was sitting. He tells the girl "Let's go," police said, and yanks her from the seat.
The girl can be seen trying to fend off the man — grabbing seats, poles and repeatedly pushing him away. The man also tries picking the girl up twice. He eventually carries her off the bus and pushes her down the street to a waiting late model silver Ford Fusion four-door sedan that has its door open.
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It did not appear that a driver or passengers were on the bus at the time of the incident. Absent of additional details and fearing for the girl's safety, police asked the public to help identify the individuals so they could investigate. They classified the incident as a "possible abduction."
Around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, police said several tips led investigators to locate the girl and her family. They determined that "no abduction occurred."
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"We appreciate the public's assistance & understand the alarming concern of witnesses who reported this incident," Metro Transit Police wrote on Twitter.
A Metro spokesperson tells NBC4 that the case is being referred to the DC Child and Family Services Division and MPD Youth Division.
