![A special police officer trains a gun at a teenage suspect as backup arrives in the background, at the Fort Totten Station, Washington, D.C., on Thursday July 20, 2023. [Screenshot/NBC4 Washington/MurdermayhemDC]](https://images.dailycaller.com/image/width=960,height=411,fit=cover,f=auto/https://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Screenshot-2023-07-22-170043-e1690062090477.jpg "A special police officer trains a gun at a teenage suspect as backup arrives in the background, at the Fort Totten Station, Washington, D.C., on Thursday July 20, 2023. [Screenshot/NBC4 Washington/MurdermayhemDC]")
A teenager was charged for his alleged role in a scuffle and a shootout with police at a Washington, D.C. Metro station, police said Friday.
The unnamed teenager, a male, was charged with “Assault with Intent to Kill and Carrying a Pistol Without a License,” the Metro Transit Police said in a tweet.
The suspect was reportedly part of a group involved in a fight at the Fort Totten station shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday, the police said in a separate tweet. During the fight, a gun fell and the teenager allegedly picked up the gun and shot an adult male who was also reportedly involved in the fight. The teenager also allegedly fired at a special police officer, who then reportedly returned fire, apparently striking the teenager, the police added.
Both the teenager and the adult were taken to hospital for what were initially thought to be life-threatening injuries, but both were later expected to recover, the police said. (RELATED: Woman Brutally Attacked By Teenagers On DC Metrobus)
Video shows the shooting incident at the Fort Totten Metro station that left a teenager and a man with serious injuries last night. https://t.co/sxknG71wc1
— NBC4 Washington (@nbcwashington) July 22, 2023
The transit system hired special police officers earlier in 2023 to combat rising crime, as robberies and assaults reportedly more than doubled as of June 2023 compared to June 2022, according to NBC4 Washington.
Some riders have since reported feeling safer riding the Metro. John Ayala, of the Washington D.C. Guardian Angels, a nonprofit crime-fighting organization, said there was a need for “more plainclothes police officers riding the trains and standing around at the stations. This way, they can catch the individuals that are engaged in illegal activities,” per the outlet.