NBC Washington has obtained, via a FOIA request, video surveillance of a L’Enfant Plaza escalator collapsing during the Rally to Restore Sanity weekend. The video shows the brakes failing and riders flying off the escalator, some getting stepped on and falling on top of each other. Several injured during the incident had to go to the hospital. Watch the video after the jump.

Now that we know that Metro knew of the mechanical problems that caused the failure and following the collapse of a Foggy Bottom escalator this month, we have to wonder if it’s better that many of the system’s broken escalators have defaulted to stairs.