From Flickr Creative Commons by Raymond Yu
A 70-year-old Mexican American woman was allegedly assaulted on a Metro bus in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles after being mistaken as Asian, The Eastsider reports. According to her son, Peter, the attacker yelled anti-Asian slurs at her before assaulting her.
None of the passengers came to his mother’s aid.
“When [my mother] attempted to exit the bus, that’s when the anti-Asian slurs came toward my mother,” Peter told NBC4 News. “She threw her on the floor and started beating her in the head.”
The assault only stopped when a fellow passenger called the police. The victim, identified only as Becky, suffered severe injuries including swollen face and eyes, a broken nose, having her hair pulled out and a concussion, according to The Eastsider.
The attacker, later identified as Yasmine Beasley according to Oxygen, dragged Becky from the back to the front of the bus before hitting her head. Authorities told NBC4 News that Beasley faces charges relating to a racial hate crime along with one charge of abuse with injuries to an elderly person.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority released a statement regarding the incident, asserting its stand against racial violence and confirming the arrest of Beasley.
“Metro expresses its sincere condolences to transit customers who have been recent targets of hate crimes on our transit system,” the statement reads. “Metro has a zero-tolerance policy for any acts of violence against customers or employees. We strongly condemn any offenses done in the name of race, religion, sex or national origin.”
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our new Instagram account. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff, or submitting a story.
