Police Report Increase in Thefts Along Blue, Orange, Silver Lines

Metro’s Blue, Orange and Silver lines are seeing an uptick in thefts at Eastern Market and other stations, Metro Transit police said today.

Robbers have snatched several iPhones from riders between the Eastern Market Metro station and the New Carrollton and Largo Town Center Metro stations, police said. Authorities said six thefts between June 1 and Tuesday appear to be connected.

The thieves often strike when trains stop at Metro stations, police said. When train doors open, they typically grab phones from riders’ hands and run away.

All of the robberies have happened in the afternoon or evening, police said. At Eastern Market, a theft happened about 1:30 p.m. on June 9 on the station’s platform.

A video police released today in connection with the thefts appears to show four young men running away from a train stopped at the Deanwood Metro station about 10:30 p.m. on June 1.

Metro Transit police said they’ve “significantly increased patrols” aboard trains and at stations in response to the robberies.

The police department encourages riders to report any suspicious activity by calling 202-962-2121 or sending a text message to “MyMTPD” (696873).

Video via YouTube/Metro Transit Police Department