More L'Enfant Violence

UPDATE 2: Metro's official statement
UPDATED: the video of what would appear to be this incident is embedded in the comments.

From an anonymous reader. Metro confirms Transit Police are "working with the victim."

I got a call on my way home from work last night from my brother.

He doesn't generally like to talk on the phone, so it's kind of unusual for him to call me. I picked it up right away, even though I was driving (yeah, yeah). His voice sounded off. I asked how he was doing. He said, "Not too well."

Long story short, he had the crap beaten out of him on Sunday evening around 7 p.m., at L'Enfant Plaza by a bunch of young punks, some of whom actually stood around and filmed the goddamn thing with their cellphone cameras.

Nothing's broken (he went to the doc today for X-rays), but he's got a black eye, a cut lip, some other cuts on his face and his left ear, some bruising.

And all he was doing was coming home from the gym, reading a book, waiting for his train.

He's hoarse from yelling for help; no one came to his aid, though lots of people stood around and watched. He finally broke away and ran and pounded on the info kiosk and got the Metro attendant's attention and got them to call 911.

Metro police eventually showed up. I don't know if the kids will be caught; the main ones ran off, while other "eyewitnesses" offered to sell him their video footage evidence before they too, disappeared.

I am shaking with rage.

Rage that a roving pack of thugs feels like it's their right and their privilege to assault another human being, and film it for their sadistic glee.

Rage that the Metro "attendant" didn't call 911 until my brother was bleeding and pounding on the kiosk.

And frankly, rage at every single person who stood around silently and complicitly, while an innocent person was assaulted, and did nothing. Said nothing. Didn't even pull out their own smartphones to take pics of the attackers. Nothing.

Yes, I'm obviously biased because this happened to someone close to me. And you can tell me that I'm sheltered, naive, whatever, because I've lived all my life in North Carolina. I will respond by telling you that I know it's not right to stand by while someone is being hurt and not at least call 911 on their behalf.

You don't want to get involved because you don't want to get beat up, too? Hey, I understand that. Don't wade into the fray. But do at least whip out that iPhone (and don't pretend you don't have one). Take some pictures of the assault. Call 911. Stick around to say something comforting to the victim after the thugs have melted into the sidewalk. Be willing to be an eyewitness for the cops.

Because yes. Silence IS complicity. And all of you who were at the L'Enfant Plaza Metro station on Sunday night and stood around silently while my brother was assaulted, I'm almost as pissed at you as I am at the perps.