Man attacked by kids at L'Enfant Metro -- bystanders watch, film it - Polidicks

Source: [url]http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-on-foot/2011/01/man-attacked-by-kids-at-l-enfant-metro----bystanders-watch-film-6880.html[/url] [quote] On Sunday night, Allen Haywood was randomly and viciously attacked by two kids on the platform of the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station. Dozens of people witnessed it. Several people filmed it. Nobody helped. Haywood was trying to transfer to the Yellow Line around 7:15 p.m. when the assault happened. He was headed home to Fort Totten after working out at Results on Capitol Hill, a gym bag slung over his shoulder and a book in his hands. As he read with his back to the station wall, “all of a sudden someone whacked me on the back of the head really hard,” he recalls. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebo1evnF4TQ&feature=player_embedded[/media] Haywood turned around. The boy looked to be about 11 or 12 years old. Baffled, Haywood asked, “What the fuck are you doing?” The boy stood there laughing. Then someone else cracked Haywood from the other side. He turned around again. This time it was the girl in the video above. She didn’t stop swinging for more than a full minute, chasing Haywood around the platform as other kids egged her on. As seen in the video, Haywood repeatedly asked the girl why she was attacking him, pleading with her to end it. “Stop it! Stop it! Goddamn it! You stop this shit right now! I did nothing to you!” Haywood looked to strangers for help, but all he saw were other kids with their cell phones out, recording the scene and laughing. Judging from his voice-over, the man shooting the YouTube video above doesn’t appear to be part of the group. The video showed up yesterday on Unsuck D.C. Metro, which posted an anonymous account of the attack Tuesday. “I can understand people not wanting to get physically involved,” says Haywood, who’s 47 and works in a Friendship Heights flower shop. "But nobody pressed the emergency button or went to the booth,” as far as he knows. Haywood tried grabbing hold of the girl but she squirmed away. She grabbed his book, which had fallen to the ground, and threw it on the tracks below for no reason. All the while, the cell phones kept rolling. “That may have been the whole point, if there is such a thing: 'Let's make a video,'" says Haywood. “They held them high, a pack moving together.” Haywood finally got free and sprinted to the station booth. He banged on the glass and told the station manager to call 911. With gashes and blood on his face, he ran back to the scene of the attack, hoping the kids would be detained. The ones who’d delivered the beating were gone, but the kids who’d filmed it were still there – and they still had their cell phones in Haywood’s face, taunting him. “How are you doing, sir?” “Any comment, sir?” One of them said if he paid them, they would give him video of the attack. A Metro worker arrived on the scene and told Haywood to go upstairs. Haywood said he didn’t want to leave, because the kids had evidence of the attack and he wanted them questioned. The worker kept insisting, and Haywood relented. He still doesn’t know what happened to the kids. A transit police officer arrived and took Haywood’s statement and photos of his damaged face. They tried to fish his book off the tracks but it was too close to the third rail. Haywood declined an ambulance. By the time he got home he had bruises all over his face and a knot on his head, though the bleeding had stopped. “I was angry and I was shocked and I was hurt,” he says. A detective assigned to the case told Haywood he’s trying to pull video of the attack from Metro station cameras. Haywood is hopeful they’ll be able to make a few identifications between the surveillance footage, the already-posted YouTube footage, and any other video that might spill out. A Metro spokesperson confirms that transit police are investigating the attack. Haywood’s sister, Laura Haywood-Cory, says the video that surfaced disgusts her but she appreciates it as evidence. “I am both gratified and furious all over again, after having watched it,” she says. “I hate everyone who stood around and did nothing almost as much as I hate the people who did this to him.” Yesterday afternoon Haywood returned to L’Enfant Plaza. He’s convinced the kids have attacked people before and that they’ll do it again – “or maybe worse,” he says – and he wanted warn people. Though he never thought he’d do such a thing, he drew up a sign. It read: “I WAS ATTACKED AT L’ENFANT METRO SUNDAY AT 7:15 PM. NO ONE HELPED. PLEASE BE CAREFUL.” Haywood held up the sign at the Metro entrance in silence for about 45 minutes during the afternoon rush hour, hundreds of strangers spilling past him and onto the escalators. He got a lot of sad looks, plenty of kind words, and even a few hugs. [/quote] Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. TL;DR Guy on the DC metro got randomly attacked by a group of kids, bystanders filmed it and did nothing despite his cries for help.

Being indifferent to abuse is enforcing abuse. DC's a shitpile anyways, so no surprise there.

what the fuck

Fuckin' kids these days..

Isn't that metro full of raiders?

I understand he didn't want to hurt them, but when it comes down to fight or flight against 12 year olds, no matter who they are, you gotta take a stand. No reason he couldn't have at least fought back a little. Side note: Of course, then the kids go running back home and cry out that they were 'assaulted' and then this dude ends up arrested. Seems he may have been in a lose-lose situation.

Poor bastard.

So they just filmed it and didn't even try to help him? some people are huge assholes

It took me a long time to realize this wasn't in France, what with the accent of the dude commenting and all. I mean I was thinking it sounded like english but couldn't quite comprehend. [editline]6th January 2011[/editline] Also, this is pretty horrible.

[QUOTE=Geno;27241856]So they just filmed it and didn't even try to help him? some people are huge assholes[/QUOTE] the bystander effect i hate when people call other people assholes because they know nothing about this.

[QUOTE=Elizer;27241813]Side note: Of course, then the kids go running back home and cry out that they were 'assaulted' and then this dude ends up arrested. Seems he may have been in a lose-lose situation.[/QUOTE] People don't want to get sued, charged or blamed for their potential actions. Stupid reason, but the fact that they film it and confront the guy afterwords saying: [quote] “How are you doing, sir?” “Any comment, sir?” One of them said if he paid them, they would give him video of the attack. [/quote] They're complete dicks. Heck, I'm wondering if this was a case of the attackers telling their friends that they would beat the shit out of a random guy and that they should come watch / film it.

God damn kids.

[QUOTE=Elizer;27241813]I understand he didn't want to hurt them, but when it comes down to fight or flight against 12 year olds, no matter who they are, you gotta take a stand. No reason he couldn't have at least fought back a little. Side note: Of course, then the kids go running back home and cry out that they were 'assaulted' and then this dude ends up arrested. Seems he may have been in a lose-lose situation.[/QUOTE] When you're looking around and there are people filming the whole ordeal, you don't have to worry about the situation being misconstrued. They didn't attack him because the group was in an argument, they just attacked him for shits and giggles. I'm sure if he'd been packing a loaded weapon, very few people would be sad that those kids were in the hospital. I'm not a violent person, but in a case where I'm getting my ass kicked my animal instincts would likely kick in to either fight back or get the fuck out, depending on the situation. Fight or flight, my pen and box cutter can easily become self defense weapons.

Makes me want to punch those kids into the face.

You'd think after having shouted at them for about a minute to no avail he'dve attempted to fight back, poor guy :frown:

[QUOTE=skynrdfan2;27241905]the bystander effect i hate when people call other people assholes because they know nothing about this.[/QUOTE] The bystander effect is the effect of having a crowd of people around a situation, be it an accident, a fight, etc. It causes people to assume someone else will step in and do something. It's a horrible excuse for not stepping in and doing something themselves, made even worse by choosing to stand there and record it.

[QUOTE=skynrdfan2;27241905]the bystander effect i hate when people call other people assholes because they know nothing about this.[/QUOTE] I hate it when people think that it's an excuse because they know nothing of having a conscience

[QUOTE=Meep Moop;27242086]The bystander effect is the effect of having a crowd of people around a situation, be it an accident, a fight, etc. It causes people to assume someone else will step in and do something. It's a horrible excuse for not stepping in and doing something themselves, made even worse by choosing to stand there and record it.[/QUOTE] It's not an excuse, it's a way the brain works.

[QUOTE=Meep Moop;27242086]The bystander effect is the effect of having a crowd of people around a situation, be it an accident, a fight, etc. It causes people to assume someone else will step in and do something. It's a horrible excuse for not stepping in and doing something themselves, made even worse by choosing to stand there and record it.[/QUOTE] I found this story on Reddit, which had some useful comments. One of the interesting ones were to single someone out in the crowd, since when you yell "Somebody help!", nobody is assigned to help. If you single someone out, THEY have the responsibility and probably know how much of a dick they'd look like if they didn't step in. In this situation, would it have done any good? Since everyone was laughing and seeming to enjoy the situation, I wouldn't know.

While it's horrible that someone was attacked for no reason, I still wonder how it's even possible to be beaten up by a twelve year old. Also, metro station name fits: "l'enfant" means "the child"

Even though I try to promote settling things with words rather than fists, I would have fought back if I was thrown into a situation like that. [editline]6th January 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=rakkar;27242434]While it's horrible that someone was attacked for no reason, I still wonder how it's even possible to be beaten up by a twelve year old. Also, metro station name fits: "l'enfant" means "the child"[/QUOTE] The kid seemed quite large from the video, and when you don't fight back, even a twelve year old can do some damage.

:smith: man this is depressing, that sounds like my worst night mare. The worst thing is, had he fought back he'd probably have got a long prison sentence.

you don't get involved in a fight in dc you just [I]don't[/I].

I'd grab her by the arm, and swing her into the tracks in a situation like that.

Always want a video where some guy comes out of nowhere and just kicks the assailant in the face and walk off leaving them incapacitated. :sigh: Too bad nobody ever helps people who need it.

Accidently push them onto the third rail while trying to defend self, profit.

I doubt the bystander effect was the main problem, seeing as how the crowd found it amusing.

That's D.C. for you.

[QUOTE=skynrdfan2;27241905]the bystander effect i hate when people call other people assholes because they know nothing about this.[/QUOTE] Its a bunch of fucking 5th graders, I really don't think the bystander effect would apply to ADULTS.

And if he had fought back, Fox News would be all over him... :foxnews: MAN ATTACKS CHILDREN IN METRO STATION MORE AT 11! :foxnews: