Woman vows to never ride the Metro again after being allegedly beaten in Long Beach
It's supposed to be a safe way to get around but a 53-year-old woman is vowing to never step foot on the Metro again after she was a allegedly beaten last Friday.
"She started punching and I just fell backward," said the victim. "I just didn't want her to punch me anymore. I was so afraid."
The 53-year-old woman asked KCAL News to not share her name. She is terrified her attackers will find her again. The victim said she was on the Metro's Blue Line with a friend — heading from Long Beach to downtown — when she was attacked.
She said it started when she asked her friend to take his hand out of the aisle because a woman was standing there.
"I was like 'Hey don't do that. Don't put your hand out as there may be a misunderstanding,' " she said.
A man then yelled at the 53-year-old, pointing out her race.
"I hear a voice in the back 'Hey! Asian woman don't tell that man that," the victim recalled.
Then, a woman started yelling, prompting the 53-year-old and her friend to change cars. However, the woman followed them.
"As I'm moving she starts punching and I fell to the side of the train," the victim said. "I was so afraid for my life ... I felt so ashamed I was in that position. So just my dignity was stripped away."
The recent attack has sparked Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn to call for a thorough investigation.
"This one really hit hard because I'm wondering where everybody was that we hired," said Hahn, who chairs the Metro's Board of Directors. "$175 million we spend for law enforcement ... Then on top of that we have 275 people that are just LA Metro security team. And on top of that, we just hired 300 ambassadors."
The victim said the only person who came to help her was a Good Samaritan who prevented her attacker from coming back, called 911 and the train conductor. The woman said she didn't see any law enforcement or Metro ambassadors.
According to Metro, "serious crimes" have increased 24% from this time last year.
"I'm surprised people are still riding the system," said Hahn. "It's not appearing to be safe."
The victim said the conductor initially refused to stop the train. When he finally did, forcing over off, officers weren't around, she added. She began to film her attacker but police have yet to identify her. The victim wants police to consider this attack a hate crime.
"He said 'Asian woman' and she said 'Asian {expletive),' " the victim said. "It was (an) Asian hate crime."
The 53-year-old went to the hospital to have some tests done on Monday, but the injuries she said she sustained on the Metro have left her forever terrified of getting back on public transportation.
"I'm so scared this is going to happen to me again," the victim said. "My mind's playing tricks on me. I'm scared."
The Long Beach Police Department is investigating the incident. They are searching for not only the woman involved but also the man who initially yelled at the victim and threw her phone onto the platform.
