In the past two months, at least two DART train passengers have been assaulted. One of those victims, Damion Rodriguez, died from his wounds.
Before his attack, Damion Rodriguez had frequently voiced concerns about safety on the train.
“He was always telling me something was going on with the trains, and I would always ask him, ‘Where are the police or whatever?’ There was never any police around,” said his wife, Robbin Rodriguez.
After the death of her husband, Rodriguez, along with another attack victim, Steve Lange, are calling for action from the DART police. “I just think the public should know this, just for their safety,” said Lange. “And DART should be aware that I’m concerned as a passenger of the train.”
On December 17, Lange was riding the northbound green-line train around midnight. He said someone struck him in the face from behind, with what felt like a glass bottle. Lange says that there was glass embedded in his skin after the accident. After being struck, he said he stumbled off the train, calling for help. “And as I’m bleeding, I looked back over my shoulder, and I see a person chasing me, screaming and shaking their hand.”
The police arrived soon after that and took him to Parkland Hospital, where he stayed overnight. No arrests were made that night.
Unfortunately, Damion Rodriguez did not survive his attack on the train. He told his wife that the assailant punched him in the face for trying to break up a fight. “He said this guy was beating up on his girlfriend, and it was going on for a while, and nobody was doing anything,” she said.
Damion exhibited immediate bleeding from a broken nose in the November 20 attack, but also suffered internal bleeding that wasn’t obvious. He died on December 8. DART police detectives took statements and stated that surveillance footage from station platforms could help find the culprits, but Robbin Rodriguez says she is wondering if the video even exists and is calling for more information.
“As an active investigation, we do not share the video at this time,” said DART Spokesman Gordon Shattles. “As soon as we have a complete investigation, we will share that audio and video.”
