Mugging at the Petworth Metro

From the Petworth listserv: “My housemate was brutally beaten by a gang of 8 young men who followedhim out of the Petworth metro Friday evening at 10PM. They followed
him up New Hampshire Ave heading NE until they got into the shadow of
the trees. He was beaten unconscious and has several staples and
stiches. I’m very grateful that he’s alive. Given the way he was
injured it easily could have not turned out that way.”

Council Member Bowser responds: “I’m very sorry to hear about this incident. I am copying Commander Burton to have him increase officers and patrols in the area around the Petworth Metro station and the adjoining neighborhoods with specific attention in the later evening hours. The community’s continued vigilance is important and we will follow this case closely.”

My two cents: This is a tragic occurance and I wish the victim a speedy recovery. I still feel that these incidents, thankfully, are rare. But please be careful and use good street smarts – pay attention to your surroundings, don’t talk on a cell phone while you walk late at night and don’t listen to your ipod. Having said that, no amount of street smarts can always prevent an incident like this. So hopefully, we will get more MPD patrols as well.