WASHINGTON — A man who tried to rob a Metrobus passenger and then attempted to steal the bus was arrested Thursday.
It happened at the intersection of Riverdale Road and Annapolis Road in New Carrollton. The suspect, 38-year-old Tariq Kirkland, got on the F4 Metrobus.
He brandished a knife and tried to rob a passenger.
The bus driver heard the commotion that was happening in the back and pulled over, securing the bus and notifying the Bus Operations Control Center.
Kirkland walked to the front of the bus — still brandishing a knife — and told the driver and 16 passengers to leave the bus.
He sat in the driver’s seat in an attempt to take control of the bus, a news release said. But since the bus has a security feature that prevents an unauthorized person to operate it, the bus did not move.
The bus driver flagged a passing Prince George’s County police officer, who detained Kirkland until Metro police arrived.
No one was hurt. Kirkland is facing charges of carjacking, robbery and assault.
A search of online court records in D.C. and Maryland indicate that Kirkland was arrested several times as an adult, mostly for assault and other misdemeanors.
Kirkland, whose most recent address is listed in Northeast D.C., also served time in a D.C. jail earlier this year. According to online records, his bond was revoked after he routinely missed court appearances stemming from multiple arrests since late last year. He is scheduled in a D.C. courtroom Thursday for a probation violation hearing.
Kirkland also has an active case against him in Montgomery County after police charged him with theft of less than $100 and possession of an open container in February. A warrant was issued for Kirkland last month, and the most recent records suggest that warrant was served Thursday morning after his arrest by Metro Transit Police.
Below is the area where it happened.
