DC woman assaulted by group of teenagers on Metrobus shares what happened in brutal attack
WASHINGTON (7News) — A Southeast D.C. woman who was attacked and pushed off a Metrobus on Monday is sharing her story with 7News.
7News' Kellye Lynn spoke to Kyla Thurston at her apartment about the encounter with the group of teenagers. She told us what D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metro officials are saying about the incident.
Thurston showed us her ripped jacket and says she is still recovering with a sore body just two days after the attack.
READ MORE: Metro vows to improve the quality of Metrobus service for riders
She said the incident happened after she made one simple request.
"It was an outrage," said Thurston.
On Oct. 17, just before 4 p.m., Thurston said she was on a Metrobus on her way to pick up her diabetes medicine when a group of teens began to curse.
"The only thing I said was, 'Can y'all stop the abusive language?'"
Thurston added that the question prompted the teens to get angry.
"They started throwing objects at me, they started assaulting me," she said.
The 42-year-old Southeast resident said the video, now circulating on social media is still hard to watch. (This video may be graphic in nature. Please be advised)
"I held on as much as I could from them hitting me and kicking me and scratching me and they were just -- I got bruises and everything on my arm," she said.
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Thurston showed us her torn jacket.
"They ripped my jacket and threw me off the bus like a piece of tissue," she said.
She said during the attack she pleaded with the bus driver.
"All I kept on saying was bus driver stop the bus, stop the bus. But the bus driver never stopped the bleep bus!"
On Twitter, Metro acknowledged that "The incident in the video is disturbing and unacceptable and currently under investigation by Metro Transit Police."
WMATA released a statement regarding the incident Thursday afternoon:
"Metro’s General Manager has personally reached out to the victim to extend his apologies for what she experienced on the W4 bus on Monday evening. MTPD and Metro leadership continue their investigation into this incident. The investigation will determine whether proper procedures were followed in this case.
While it is not possible to have MTPD officers aboard all 1,500 buses in the fleet, MTPD routinely patrols buses throughout the region and uses data to focus on routes with a high number of incidents. We encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses unlawful behavior to contact MTPD immediately by calling 202-962-2121, texting MyMTPD (696873), or calling 911."
On Wednesday, Bowser also reacted to the video, even though she hadn't yet seen it.
"That is not any type of crime that we want to see in our city at any time," Bowser said. "Part of what we're talking about today is making sure we have the police force that we need to respond and patrol and assist Metro and its properties, including the bus and including the train stations."
Metrobus officials told 7News that the bus operator did not follow proper procedures during this incident. They added that appropriate administrative action will be taken against the driver.
Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) said they will be increasing patrols on the W4 "as part of its ongoing initiative to increase officer availability and visibility throughout the bus and rail system."
MTPD said this incident is under investigation. Anyone with additional information about this incident can call them at 202-962-2121.
