The story behind D.C.'s viral Metro goat

Driving the news: Videos circulated Monday showing Bob's owner — a content creator who goes by @kynobap — being physically detained by Metro Transit Police outside the Navy Yard station, prompting a flood of online speculation:

• "Why would they arrest him?!"
• "Ok to bring a goat/mattress on Metro?"
• "What if the goat identifies as a service dog?"

Zoom in: Metro spokespeople tell Axios the man in the video was detained because officers were looking for him as part of an investigation by a partner agency — not because of the goat or any Metro infraction.

• He was later released.
• @kynobap didn't return Axios' request for comment. But the creator wrote in an Instagram story, "I didn't get arrested."

Yes, but: Metro policy prohibits riders from bringing an "unconfined animal" aboard trains or buses.

• The exceptions? Service animals, including dogs and — fun fact — miniature horses (but not goats that identify as service horses).

The big picture: Bob is already a bona fide celebri-goat.

• Besides riding Metro, he's amassed a herd of followers trotting around town, posing with celebrities like Ray J, sampling viral oxtail pizza and — very on trend — posing with National Guard troops.

What we're watching: Whether Bob's next Metro ride is his last — or just the beginning for WMATA's unofficial mascot.