A Metro bus driver ended up in the ICU after he was brutally attacked at a downtown Burbank station on Dec. 26. The public is just now finding out about the attack more than a week after it happened.
Metro never publicly announced anything about the attack until Thursday, when NBC4 received a tip about what happened. The Burbank Police Department, who also had not spoken about the incident, said officers arrested 32-year-old Terry Wyatt, who is unhoused, for the assault.
Metro said the driver was inspecting a bus at the downtown Burbank station when he was assaulted. Burbank Police said Wyatt attacked the driver unprovoked and left him unconscious. The driver is now back home recovering.
Another driver, who chose not to identify himself, said he wasn’t surprised one of his coworkers was attacked and added that he’s been attacked more than 10 times, himself.
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“Personally, I got situations where people throw hot coffee in my face, spit in my face, punch in my face,” he said. “And we’re not able to defend ourselves."
The Burbank assault was one of a few violent incidents involving Metro in December, alone. On Dec. 12, Jalil Ilera was stabbed to death on board a train in South LA after surveillance footage showed he attacked another man unprovoked. Nearly two weeks later, a 29-year-old man was shot and killed near a Hyde Park Metro Station on Dec.30.
The reason why the attack wasn't made public by Metro was still not known until Thursday.
Local
“Typically, law enforcement will issue a media advisory about crimes, particularly, if the suspect is still at large. In this instance, the suspect was quickly apprehended by the Burbank Police Department,” said the spokesperson for Metro. “Neither the Burbank Police Department nor LA Metro received any media inquiries about this event until today”.
Community members who use Metro and live in the area say Metro or Burbank Police needed to share this news immediately.
“Because if we live this area, we need to know what the dangers are,” said Gloria, a Metro commuter.
Burbank Police said after the arrest the District Attorney filed charges for felony battery and elder abuse against Wyatt.
