WASHINGTON – A D.C. man will spend the next seven years behind bars for a savage attack on a Metro train last fall. Michael Harrington, 43, of Washington, D.C., received an 84-month sentence June 7, 2024, after pleading guilty to assault with intent to kill, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) Chief Michael Anzallo announced.
The September 3, 2023, attack left the victim fighting for her life. According to court documents, Harrington approached the woman as the train neared the Navy Yard-Ball Park Station and began stabbing her repeatedly in the head and body, reportedly telling her he would kill her. He then left her bleeding on the train car. First responders rushed to the scene, stemming the flow of blood until paramedics could transport her to a local hospital in critical condition. The victim sustained a horrific twelve stab wounds to her head, hip, foot, hands, and leg, but remarkably survived.
Harrington’s guilty plea came with a legal wrinkle. He entered it under the stipulations of Alford v. North Carolina, meaning he acknowledged the government could prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt but didn’t have to explicitly admit to the facts of the crime. Authorities noted Harrington has a history of both drug use and mental health issues. This legal maneuver allows for a conviction without a full confession, a common tactic in cases with complex defendant backgrounds.
The manhunt didn’t end on the train. Later that evening, Harrington triggered a fire alarm at an Arlington, Virginia apartment building. When police arrived, they found him wielding a knife with what appeared to be dried blood on the blade – a blade that matched the description of the weapon used in the Metro attack. He also confessed to having an earlier altercation with someone on the train, though the connection to the stabbing wasn’t immediately clear.
Judge Maribeth Raffinan didn’t just hand down the prison sentence. She also ordered Harrington to serve three years of supervised release upon his release and pay $100 to the Superior Court’s Crime Victims Compensation Fund – a small restitution for a brutal act. U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Anzallo praised the collaborative work of the MTPD and the Arlington County Police Department in bringing Harrington to justice.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald Chester spearheaded the prosecution for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. While seven years won’t undo the trauma inflicted on the victim, it sends a clear message: unprovoked violence on the DC Metro – or anywhere in the city – will be met with the full force of the law. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the aftermath for the victim and the community.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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