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A video of a woman being assaulted and forcibly thrown out of a DC Metrobus has gone viral on the internet and has led to considerable social media outrage. The video was filmed by one of the witnesses, who requested anonymity due to safety concerns. The attack took place around 4 pm on October 17, 2022.
The shocking video, which made its rounds on social media on Wednesday, shows a woman being shoved out of the vehicle by a group of foul-mouthed juveniles. The attack started after they told her to "get off the bus" several times. She can be seen trying to hold on as she is pushed to the ground to save herself while the young men continue to push her out of the open bus door.
Trigger warning: The following video is graphic in nature. The viewer's discretion is advised.
The woman told 7News that she is still recovering from a sore body just two days after the attack on the DC Metrobus and even showed them the jacket that was damaged in the attack. The victim, identified as Kyla Thurston, told Fox5 that the assault started just after she had given up her seat for a mother with young children.
A Metro spokesperson called the attack "disturbing" and "unacceptable" but no further action has been taken.
The victim of the DC Metrobus attack recalls the terrifying incident, calls it an "outrage"
Two days after an unprovoked and disturbing assault on a DC Metrobus, the victim, 42-year-old Kyla Thurston, said that her body was still sore and she had bruises everywhere. Recounting the harrowing experience, she told 7News:
"The only thing I said was, 'Can y'all stop the abusive language?'"
However, this set off the brash teenagers who allegedly started to throw bottles at her and physically tried to throw her from the moving bus. Thurston said she was on her way to buy diabetes medication when she was roughly manhandled.
She further said:
" 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. They ripped my jacket and threw me off the bus like a piece of tissue."
In an interview with Fox 5, the DC Metrobus attack victim hoped that such a situation could be prevented from taking place in the future. She added:
"In the future I would just hope that Metro could, I guess, find some type of way of preventing this from happening to someone in the future.
The bystander who filmed the whole incident regretted not stepping in due to concerns for the safety of her family and said that the unruly group of men went to the extent of putting their hands on her neck, choking her as they pushed her off the DC bus. She hopes that the video can help in identifying the culprits. She said:
"I know how teenagers can be. I know what it is, but I would never … I don’t even care if the person is 30, I would never go that far with disrespecting them. I wouldn’t want nobody to do that to my family."
The Metro Transit Police Department said that there is an ongoing investigation, and anyone with any information on the case is urged to get in touch with the authorities by calling 202-962-2121.
