After being assaulted by young people on a bus in Washington D. C., a woman speaks out about her ordeal and the need for officials to invest more in public safety. The victim hopes that talking about her trauma will open the eyes of those who are blind to the rise of crime in her city.
On Monday, Oct. 17, Kyla Thurston, 42, was allegedly attacked while riding the W4 bus route, which stretches from the Deanwood Metro station to the Anacostia station, reportedly by six juveniles and two adults. It is alleged, according to FOX 5, that she gave her seat to a woman with her small children and later asked the students on the bus to stop using profane language.
Thurston said she hopes no one goes through what she did on that day.
“I wouldn’t want, you know, no one else to have to go through this – it’s emotional just thinking about it.”
A witness said the youth retaliated after the reprimand, violently shoving her out the rear door of the bus after a stop. Ages of the attackers ranged from teenagers to adults.
“At that point, the kids became unruly. They started being disrespectful, like saying things to me,” said Thurston. “Then next thing you know, there were objects being thrown at me, and I was just like, ‘Thank You, Lord,’ because throughout the whole incident the only thing I could recall was the kids hitting me and kicking me – and I had no defense.”
The children were identified when detectives canvased several schools on the bus route and worked with administrators to assist with their investigation. The investigators used video from bus cameras to help identify those involved in the incident.
On Friday, Oct. 21, two persons were arrested in connection to the assault, WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke stated. The two suspects are 27-year-old Emoni Hubbard of Southeast D.C. and 35-year-old Terry Barnes of Wilson, North Carolina.
Clarke said, “I appreciate the quick work of MTPD in arresting the two adults involved in this reprehensible and unacceptable act on a Metrobus earlier this week.”
“I personally called the victim to apologize for what happened,” she said. “This type of behavior cannot be tolerated on Metro or anywhere. We need the help of partners, guardians, parents, schools, and community leaders to prevent this type of behavior.”
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