Four girls ages 11 to 14 arrested for violent assault of woman at DC’s Union Station

A 12-year-old and a 14-year-old were arrested Friday by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on charges including assault with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to riot, simple assault, and disorderly conduct. Two other girls, an 11-year-old and a 13-year-old, had been arrested Thursday after video of the February 16 attack surfaced online.

According to investigators, the girls approached a woman exiting Union Station and began punching and kicking her. One of the suspects reportedly filmed the assault while encouraging the others to continue. When bystanders attempted to intervene, the girls allegedly attacked them as well, WUSA 9 reported.

"Chief Pamela A. Smith and The Metropolitan Police Department announce additional arrests in connection to an egregious assault recorded on video that occurred in Northeast," said a spokesperson for the MPD on Friday.

A hate crime enhancement was added to the charges after investigators determined the attack was "anti-Hispanic or Latino" and "anti-multiple races, group."

"The detective's investigation revealed the suspects potentially being motivated by hate or bias," the MPD stated.

Law enforcement officials noted that none of the victims suffered serious injuries but said the suspects may have been involved in similar attacks in nearby areas.

“The actions of these young suspects are disturbing and deeply disheartening for all of us who care for the youngest people in our community,” said Chief of Police Pamela A. Smith. “There is absolutely zero tolerance for this behavior in our city. Harming our community like this will result in your arrest and prosecution, no matter your age. It is on all of us who care for our young people to ensure they don’t follow this path.”

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser also addressed the issue of juvenile crime and said it should be taken seriously.

"We can't treat juvenile crime as some sort of joyride or kids being kids. Kids have to be dealt with who are committing crimes," Bowser said. "Our police are making good arrests, and we're going to work with the attorney general's office to make sure that the law is being applied to these kids.”