Metro Transit Police are working to identify and locate a person involved in an armed robbery aboard a Metrobus in Southeast D.C. that happened around 12:58 a.m. Wednesday near Torque Street and Southern Avenue SE. The robbery took place on a C51 route bus, and investigators have released photos of the person they are trying to track down.
According to WJLA, the Metro Transit Police Department, also known as MTPD, is asking anyone who recognizes the person in the photos, or who has information about the robbery, to call 202-962-2121. The outlet reports that authorities have not yet made an arrest in the case. The C51 bus, known as the U Street–Anacostia Line, runs daily between Tenleytown station in Northwest D.C. and Anacostia station in Southeast D.C., passing through U Street before reaching its southern terminus, according to Wikipedia.
A Pattern of Armed Confrontations on D.C. Buses
Court reporting by DC Witness details how three co-defendants were indicted on March 18, 2024, after allegedly blocking a Metrobus with a car in Southeast D.C., boarding while armed to rob a passenger, and firing approximately 11 shots at the bus as they fled; they pleaded not guilty on Aug. 22. The co-defendants also faced murder and kidnapping charges in the same case.
Anyone convicted of armed robbery in the District faces steep consequences. D.C. Code sets a statutory maximum of up to 30 years in prison for armed robbery; mandatory minimum terms may apply, according to the law firm Scrofano Law PC.
Mixed Signals on Transit Safety
The robbery lands amid conflicting signs about safety on D.C.'s transit system. WMATA officials reported in April that crime aboard Metro trains and buses fell 61% per million rides in fiscal year 2026 compared with fiscal year 2023; violent crimes such as robbery and assault dropped the most, according to WUSA9. That same enforcement push saw Metro Transit Police issue 9,603 bus fare evasion citations in fiscal year 2026, a 1,371% increase from just seven citations in 2023 — a crackdown WMATA leaders say helps identify riders with active warrants before violent offenses occur, the station reports. WMATA lost roughly $50 million to fare evasion between July 2025 and March 2026, per the same account.
Yet rider perceptions tell a different story on buses specifically. A WMATA customer survey discussed in September 2025 found Metrobus passengers reported higher safety and harassment concerns, at 13% dissatisfaction, compared with 9% among Metrorail riders, even as systemwide crime had dropped to 3.7 incidents per million trips, according to ARLnow. Metrobus dissatisfaction had steadily fallen from 17% in fiscal year 2023, the outlet noted, suggesting improvement even as concerns linger.
Other Recent Incidents Involving D.C. Buses
The Wednesday robbery follows other recent cases in which Metrobuses figured into fast-moving D.C. crimes. Just two days earlier, a group of 25 to 30 juveniles robbed a pedestrian near Chinatown in Northwest D.C., and half the group fled by boarding a Metrobus, according to the Capital City Post. D.C. recorded more than 1,000 juvenile arrests between January and June 2026, with nearly 40% involving violent crimes, the outlet reported. Hoodline covered that Chinatown robbery in detail.
Regionally, armed robberies have also struck other bus infrastructure around the Washington area. Montgomery County police reported in February that a transit rider suffered a knife wound during an armed robbery at the Lakeforest Transit Center in Gaithersburg, a key hub serving multiple Ride On and Metrobus routes, as Hoodline previously reported.
How To Report Information
Anyone who recognizes the person in the released photos or has information about the robbery is urged to contact MTPD at 202-962-2121.
