Man attacked on Metro's Red Line during robbery attempt

WASHINGTON - A man was assaulted on a Red Line train during the Monday evening rush hour, according to Metro.

Police responded to the NoMa-Gallaudet U station around 5:30 p.m. for an assault aboard an inbound train. It stemmed from an apparent attempted robbery of a book bag, Metro said.

A person who wrote on a neighborhood listserv described a group of young people attacking the victim, knocking him out and possibly breaking his jaw.

The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Metro said.

FOX 5's Matt Ackland has confirmed that three juveniles were detained as they got off the train, but Metro Transit Police could not identify them as the attackers.

We have requested the video from the NoMa-Gallaudet U station to show the persons of interest in this attack, but Metro said it is not releasing the video.

Metro's Dan Stessel gave this statement to FOX 5:

"Beyond the fact that the suspect(s) in this case are described by witnesses and victim as being juveniles, it is not uncommon for detectives to withhold images/video until other investigative measures are exhausted. The reason for this is that it helps to preserve the integrity of an eventual ID by the victim. For example: Let's say we were to release images of suspects in this case and they are broadcast widely in the media. That could influence the victim's recollection of the suspect, thereby calling into question the validity of a photo array. Our goal here is to ensure that the eventual charges stick and that those responsible are successfully prosecuted. As I told Matt, we have had great success in the past identifying juveniles through school resource officers."