Another assault on the Met Branch Trail

[baiskeli]

Glad someone brought up pepper spray. Non-lethal weapons or deterrents are a nice compromise. They are legal in the District.

[PotomacCyclist]

WashCycle posted that REI may sign on as part of the redevelopment of Uline Arena at M St NE. Other websites indicate that the deal isn’t final yet.

http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/rei_to_anchor_uline_arena_development/9292

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2014/12/retailerrei-at-uline-arena-is-in-the-works-but-not.html

The site is just across the tracks from the Met Branch Trail. Although it’s a few blocks south of the problem area (R St to T St NE), maybe the development can have a positive effect on the trail. REI sells road, mountain and hybrid bikes as well as hiking equipment and other outdoor sports gear. This would be their flagship store in the DC region. It would make sense for a flagship store to have even more events than other REI stores already have. This could include group rides along the Met Branch Trail and other events that could increase traffic on the trail.

It wouldn’t solve all of the problems, but it might help a bit. It’s a sign that development continues in the NoMa area, including some new buildings just a block away from the trouble spots on the trail. If just one of the buildings in that area (R St to T St) is redeveloped, or a new tenant moves in that brings in far more foot and bike traffic on the trail, that would help to reduce crime. None of this will happen immediately, but I hope it does eventually.

P.S. Uline Arena was the site of the first Beatles concert in the U.S. Probably not relevant to the trail, but maybe some zealous Beatles fans could set up a music-related business near the trail and R St.

[cyclingfool]

@PotomacCyclist 101266 wrote:

P.S. Uline Arena was the site of the first Beatles concert in the U.S. Probably not relevant to the trail, but maybe some zealous Beatles fans could set up a music-related business near the trail and R St.

I believe it was also a trash transfer station for quite a while, which would make it an ideal site for a WalMart. :p

[jrenaut]

@cyclingfool 101276 wrote:

I believe it was also a trash transfer station for quite a while, which would make it an ideal site for a WalMart. :p

There are already way too many WalMarts in DC.

[cyclingfool]

@jrenaut 101277 wrote:

There are already way too many WalMarts in DC.

Part of my point, though it’s buried in sarcasm… Or at least implied by the barb directed at Walmart.

[jrenaut]

Let’s not even joke about adding more. Maybe something more socially acceptable, like murdering babies or blinky lights on trails.

[PotomacCyclist]

What about making it the permanent home of Beatlemania Now? Nightly concerts and matinees on the weekend.

http://www.beatlemanianow.com/

Plus a Beatles cultural and music festival four times a year.

[83b]

Yet another beating/robbery on the Met Branch Trail.

It has been reported elsewhere that about 15-20 teenagers jumped a jogger yesterday without provocation. They broke his front tooth, multiple bones in his face and gave him several bad gashes around his head and body. They took his phone and wallet.

[Terpfan]

@83(b) 137708 wrote:

Yet another beating/robbery on the Met Branch Trail.

It has been reported elsewhere that about 15-20 teenagers jumped a jogger yesterday without provocation. They broke his front tooth, multiple bones in his face and gave him several bad gashes around his head and body. They took his phone and wallet.

Actually was a cyclist I think.

Either way, it’s become beyond ridiculous that the city hasn’t stepped up to the plate on dealing with it.

[KLizotte]

@83(b) 137708 wrote:

Yet another beating/robbery on the Met Branch Trail.

It has been reported elsewhere that about 15-20 teenagers jumped a jogger yesterday without provocation. They broke his front tooth, multiple bones in his face and gave him several bad gashes around his head and body. They took his phone and wallet.

Thanks for the head’s up.

[83b]

A bit more detail from a cyclist who passed by soon after this latest attack.

I rode up shortly after this event, and it was pretty brutal. Lots of blood on the victim and on the ground, and the victim was missing a tooth.

I biked along the trail with a witness who said that there were ‘at least 15 guys,’ most of which were on bikes. The alleged assailants were just hanging around, with bikes laid out all over the trail to make it impassable when the victim walked by. The youths then slapped the guy on the head (or something provoking like that), at which point the victim allegedly tried to verbally or physically defend himself — which likely just made the whole thing worse, as this was apparently when the group swarmed.

All of the above information comes from a second hand source, so I am not reporting anything as a fact. Just a third hand report of another bystanders point of view.

The victim had every right to be on the trail and stand up for himself. But as a person that bikes this trail every day, I will likely just turn around if there are big groups of kids on the trail with apparently nothing to do.

That’s the second time I’ve heard of kids blocking the trail and harassing passing riders/runners. Hopefully this information provides anyone who runs into blockading youths with the opportunity to Crazy Ivan and find an alternate route.

[bobco85]

@83(b) 137723 wrote:

A bit more detail from a cyclist who passed by soon after this latest attack.

That’s the second time I’ve heard of kids blocking the trail and harassing passing riders/runners. Hopefully this information provides anyone who runs into blockading youths with the opportunity to Crazy Ivan and find an alternate route.

I said this early in this thread, and I would recommend the following to anyone using this trail:
@bobco85 99022 wrote:

If I see a group of more than 3 people in the distance (I don’t get close enough to tell if they’re teens or senior citizens) especially at night (I ride on the MBT probably a few times per month), I will turn off the trail and go a parallel route around them due to these types of incidents.

I would add, “…and call the police to inform them of a potentially threatening situation.”

The MBT is really a good trail on which I enjoy riding, but the crime aspect is its biggest detriment.

[Judd]

The victim of the attack on the Met Branch Trail posted about it on Reddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/4cwgdm/i_was_hospitalized_by_1520_teenagers_on_bikes_on/

[elbows]

I don’t think this story has gotten the coverage it deserves. Imagine if it had happened on the Mall.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/dc-police-arrest-15-year-old-in-metropolitan-branch-trail-robbery/2016/04/02/f64c19e0-f8d3-11e5-a3ce-f06b5ba21f33_story.html

I had a destination today that would normally have put me on MBT and decided to stay on city streets instead. Maybe not entirely rational, but I didn’t want to feel hyper-vigilant either. I like to fantasize about the idea of undercover police catching the punks who behave like this and then doing something with them where there’s a hope of setting them straight.

[Judd]

@elbows 137902 wrote:

I don’t think this story has gotten the coverage it deserves. Imagine if it had happened on the Mall.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/dc-police-arrest-15-year-old-in-metropolitan-branch-trail-robbery/2016/04/02/f64c19e0-f8d3-11e5-a3ce-f06b5ba21f33_story.html

I had a destination today that would normally have put me in MBT and decided to stay on city streets instead. Maybe not entirely rational, but I didn’t want to feel hyper-vigilant either. I like to fantasize about the idea of undercover police catching the punks who behave like and then doing something with them where there’s a hope of setting them straight.

What I find more interesting is the disparity between how the Post is reporting it and how the victim described it on Reddit (I am making the assumption that the Reddit post was made by the actual victim.) The Post article makes it sound like a deliberate pre-meditated robbery by a gang of youths where the victim received minor injuries. The Reddit post describes it as a kid being a total asshole, committing a minor assault, the victim escalating the situation and the group of kids responding by beating the crap out of him and leaving him with pretty significant (although non life threatening) injuries.

[Author]

Posts