DC Nat'l Guard members prevent knife attack

A potential knife attack was thwarted on Monday as two District of Columbia National Guard members notified the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department of a suspect with a knife threatening a man at the Waterfront Metro station in Washington, D.C.

In a Wednesday press release, Army Spc. Sherald McAulay said two D.C. National Guard members contacted local law enforcement officials on Monday after identifying “a potentially life-threatening situation involving a man brandishing a knife and threatening another man at the Waterfront Metro station.”

McAulay explained that Army Capt. Giho Yang and Army Spc. Tra’shwn Parham were conducting patrols at the Waterfront Metro station on Monday as part of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force and Joint Task Force District of Columbia when Parham noticed a man brandishing a knife and making verbal threats. Parham quickly notified the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department regarding the suspect, and local police officials responded to the scene, according to Wednesday’s press release. 

“We showed our presence and then made sure that citizens around that area were safe,” Yang said. “To do that, we had to partner up and communicate with the law enforcement officers that were nearby, making sure that we had eyes and ears on the situation to keep everyone safe.”

Parham explained that people in D.C. thanked the two National Guard members following Monday’s incident and said that they felt safe due to the presence of National Guard members.

In Wednesday’s press release, McAulay said National Guard members were continuing to patrol D.C. as part of the Trump administration’s task force. McAulay emphasized that the National Guard members are supporting federal and local law enforcement agencies and “safeguarding property and ensuring the continuity of government functions” in the city.

White House data shared on Wednesday with Fox News shows that law enforcement officials have made over 550 arrests in D.C. since August 7.

Taylor Rogers, a White House spokesperson, told Fox News, “Thanks to President Trump’s bold actions to Make DC Safe Again, more than 550 dangerous criminals have been removed from the streets of our nation’s capital.”

“While the Fake News tried to sell a lie that D.C. was safe, these arrests reveal the truth,”Rogers added. “Hundreds of violent criminals have been arrested by federal law enforcement agents for carrying illegal weapons, distributing deadly drugs, committing armed robbery, and having ties to dangerous gangs like MS-13. President Trump is making DC safe again by enforcing the law and everyday Americans support his commonsense, tough-on-crime policies.”