Teen Shot in Anacostia Station After Dispute

A teenager was shot and wounded inside the Anacostia Metro station early yesterday, and a suspect was arrested and charged in the incident, a Metro spokeswoman said.

The shooting, which is unusual for the Metro system, occurred about 12:20 a.m. after a confrontation between two groups spilled off a Green Line train and onto the train platform, said Metro spokeswoman Angela Gates.

The victim, described as under 18, was hit in the abdomen. He was taken to a hospital, where he was described as stable last night.

The suspect, who was arrested near the station after a chase, is an adult. No name or age was given. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, Gates said.

She said the two groups apparently boarded the train at the Gallery Place Station. A dispute began with words and escalated by the time the train reached Anacostia, she said.

She said two Metro Transit Police officers were apparently on the mezzanine of the station when a shot was fired on the platform.

One officer ran to help the victim and the other pursued someone who fled from the station. A suspect was found in a nearby wooded patch and taken into custody, Gates said.

She said a search of the area around the station, using a dog, turned up a 9mm pistol.

It was not clear where the two groups had been or what prompted the dispute between them, according to the spokeswoman.

It was also not known where the groups were going; Gates said she did not think Anacostia was their ultimate destination.

A shooting on Metro property remains a "very rare occurrence," Gates said.

Although crime at Metro stations is generally lower than in the jurisdictions where they are located, she said, crimes against people have been more frequent at the Anacostia Station than elsewhere in the system.

She said Metro has stepped up police presence there, with "some success."