Another Biker Assaulted on the Metro Branch Trail

Another biker was assaulted on the Metro Branch Trail yesterday while en route from Brookland to Capitol Hill. This was the second assault in the past week: On Saturday a biker was knocked off her bike by some teenagers. They didn't' steal anything; they just knocked her over as she rode past the bench that they were sitting on. Here is Daniel's first-hand account of Monday's incident, in which some teens threw "body fluids" at him, as reported on the Metro Branch Trail email list:

This evening at about 7:50 I was heading south on my bike, going from Brookland to Capitol Hill to visit a friend. I was approaching the section just North of Rhode Island Avenue where there's a parking lot and shopping plaza. About four black youths (junior-high age) were at the bench along the trail, when one of them (the smallest kid, no more than 4 feet tall) came out with a large plastic drink cup and doused liquid at me, hitting my chest. It was not water. It was bodily fluids. I stopped and got off my bike, and tried to catch the perpetrator but they all dispersed (laughing), and I realized it was futile, so I got back on the bike and continued. I made it to my friend's house, promptly took a shower and threw away the clothes I had on, and then called 911 to report the crime. The dispatcher said that since I was no longer at the scene, they couldn't file a report, but that they would send an officer to check out the area.

Bicyclists Assaulted on Metro Branch Trail in Brookland

If you're biking on the Metro Branch Trail, be on the lookout for teens who suddenly rise up from a bench and push over bicyclists. These teenagers don't steal bikes: All they appear to want to do is knock over cyclists. Here is how one biker, Heather, describes her unfortunate encounter with these teenagers (from her account on the Brookland listserv).

I was riding my bike home from work on the Metro Branch Trail about 3:45 pm this afternoon (Saturday) when a female member of a group of 6 young teenagers stood up from a bench and pushed me off my bike as I rode by. I slammed into the fence along the trail. She then proceeded to sit back down on the bench as I struggled with my bike. They did not attempt to take anything from me. This happened a few hundred feet from the entrance onto the trail at 8th and Edgewood, right by DC Prep. I rode my bike (which was all bent out of alignment) to the trail head and called police. The police responded quickly and were very helpful, but the kids were gone.

I am bruised and shaken, but basically okay.

Since this has happened I have learned that this is not an isolated event and others have been harassed as they have been biking on the trail.

City Council Member Harry Thomas has been in touch with commander of MPD-5D to ensure that there's adequate safety on the trail.