Washington Metro Transit Police (MTPD) yesterday arrested two adults for assaulting and pushing a woman off a W4 Metrobus on October 17. The two suspects, 27-year old Emoni Hubbard of Southeast DC and 35-year old Terry Barnes of Wilson, North Carolina were taken into custody without incident. Video obtained from cameras on the bus helped detectives to identify the suspects, in addition to video captured by a customer onboard who witnessed the assault.
MTPD launched an investigation after the witness video surfaced and was later contacted by the victim to report the incident after seeing the video on TV. The victim said she got into a verbal altercation with a group of juveniles around 4 p.m. Monday after boarding the W4 Metrobus and asking them to stop cursing. The altercation escalated and the group began throwing objects at her before physically pushing her off the bus at one of the stops.
“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,” said Metro General Manager/CEO Randy Clarke. “I personally called the victim to apologize for what happened. 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.”
The two suspects are among eight individuals believed to have taken part in the attack, including juveniles.
In the event of an incident jeopardizing safety, Metrobus operators can stop where it is safe to do so and use an onboard system to send an alarm and contact the Bus Operations Control Center for assistance from a supervisor or Transit Police. An internal investigation by Metro determined that the bus operator did not follow proper procedures during this incident, and appropriate administrative action will be taken.
Additionally, a bulletin reminding all Metrobus operators of protocols for onboard disturbances was circulated following the attack. MTPD is also stepping up patrols on the W4 as part of its ongoing initiative to increase officer availability and visibility throughout the bus and rail system.
Read more at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
