Brad Rourke

Man Attacked; Onlookers Film And Do Nothing

This is the kind of world we live in.

Sunday before last, about 7:15pm, Allen Haywood was on his way home from working out at the gym. He had a gym bag and a book. He leaned against the wall, reading, waiting for his Metro train at L’Enfant Plaza station.

He felt a whack on the back of his head, and turned around. There was a young young boy, 11 or 12 looking at him. He felt another whack, and turned again. This time it was a young girl. They were in a pack.

They began to hit and taunt him, chasing him around the station, while some filmed the whole thing on their cellphones. The beating got severe. He started bleeding. Onlookers also began filming.

Haywood pled with the girl to end it: “Stop it! I have done nothing to you!”

It sounds unreal, but here’s proof:

Haywood, 47, got away and ran to the attendant’s booth. He banged on the glass, then went back to the scene, hoping he could have the assailants detained. There, he was further taunted by the onlookers. They offered to sell him video of his attack.

Meanwhile, he was bleeding from his head.

Finally, a Metro worker arrived and insisted that Haywood leave the scene. Transit police took his statement.

No one knows yet who the assailants were or where to find them.

Posted

in

by

Brad Rourke

Tags:

Comments

6 responses to “Man Attacked; Onlookers Film And Do Nothing”

  1. sutton

    Knowing what we know about the psychology of crowds watching an emergency, the victim stands a better chance of getting assistance if he makes eye contact with a bystander and tells him/her in a firm voice to call the police or get the station attendant. (A bystander could do the same thing to another bystander.)

    Otherwise: I guess the kind of world where it would be wise to pay attention to who is around you in a public place? I’m not saying this incident was the victim’s “fault,” but it might not have played out the way it did if the first smack hadn’t been a surprise and/or if he’d noticed a group of kids surrounding him for no good reason. I know this sounds like victim-blaming, but there is exactly one thing we can control when we are out in public, and it is not what OTHER people are doing.

  2. sutton

    Knowing what we know about the psychology of crowds watching an emergency, the victim stands a better chance of getting assistance if he makes eye contact with a bystander and tells him/her in a firm voice to call the police or get the station attendant. (A bystander could do the same thing to another bystander.)

    Otherwise: I guess the kind of world where it would be wise to pay attention to who is around you in a public place? I’m not saying this incident was the victim’s “fault,” but it might not have played out the way it did if the first smack hadn’t been a surprise and/or if he’d noticed a group of kids surrounding him for no good reason. I know this sounds like victim-blaming, but there is exactly one thing we can control when we are out in public, and it is not what OTHER people are doing.

  3. Brad Rourke

    I know, it’s terrible.

    Here is Haywood discussing the attack:

    http://www.tbd.com/articles/2011/01/victim-of-l-enfant-metro-attack-speaks-out-43837.html

    Thanks for commenting.

  4. Brad Rourke

    I know, it’s terrible.

    Here is Haywood discussing the attack:
    http://www.tbd.com/articles/2011/01/victim-of-l-enfant-metro-attack-speaks-out-43837.html

    Thanks for commenting.

  5. Akjarrell

    There are so many things wrong with this picture it does seem unreal. The attack. Children as perpetrators. Onlookers who don’t help. Authorities who don’t care. Onlookers who become perpetrators themselves. Authorities who turn on the victim. I know that contrary to what we hope bystanders do stand by thinking someone else will help but that doesn’t even sound like what happened here. The whole thing is crazy. I don’t want to know that’s the kind of world we live in. But now I do.

  6. Akjarrell

    There are so many things wrong with this picture it does seem unreal. The attack. Children as perpetrators. Onlookers who don’t help. Authorities who don’t care. Onlookers who become perpetrators themselves. Authorities who turn on the victim. I know that contrary to what we hope bystanders do stand by thinking someone else will help but that doesn’t even sound like what happened here. The whole thing is crazy. I don’t want to know that’s the kind of world we live in. But now I do.

Leave a comment