Metro Transit Police officer shoots suspect after stabbing in Anacostia

A Metro Transit Police officer shot a man Thursday afternoon who had stabbed another man near the Anacostia Metro station, D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III said.

Both men were taken to the hospital and were in stable condition Thursday evening, Contee said.

The altercation between the two men started on a D.C. Circulator bus, then spilled onto a street near the Anacostia station, a busy transportation hub for commuters traveling by bus, train and car. One man then produced a knife and stabbed the other man, Contee said.

The Metro Transit Police officer asked the man with the knife to put down the weapon. Contee said the man did not comply, according to a witness, and then the officer fired one shot, striking him.

Contee described the men as in their early 20s.

“We are thankful that the officer was here and in close proximity and able to prevent the person who was being stabbed from further injury,” Contee said.

D.C. police began patrolling five Metro stations last month to augment the transit police force over concerns about crime within the system. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) detailed the initiative a week after police said a gunman went on a shooting rampage at the Potomac Avenue station, killing a 64-year-old Metro mechanic who tried to stop the attack and wounding two others.

The Anacostia station was not among the five stations that received extra patrols during the morning and evening rush hours. Authorities said those stations — Metro Center, Gallery Place, Georgia Avenue-petworth, Congress Heights and Union Station — were selected based on crime data and could shift with new trends.