A woman was punched and beaten by two other passengers on a Metro ride in a terrifying attack last week in Long Beach.
This latest incident adds to questions and concerns about security and safety at Metro stations and trains.
The 53-year-old woman, who did not wish to be identified, will physically be OK, but she is terrified that it could happen again. She is hoping that by sharing her story it will help prevent future attacks.
"She just kept punching and punching, way more than 10 times. I don't know I've just never been punched like that before," the woman said. "I had a good Samaritan that came and he started calling the conductor, we were both calling 911, and we were telling the conductor it’s an emergency stop the train.”
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The attack took place last week Wednesday while she was riding the Blue Line through Long Beach with a friend. The woman said that they became involved in some kind of altercation with two other passengers. She explained how they began punching her in the face and also used racial slurs. Other riders came to the woman's rescue to help her get away.
But some local leaders like Supervisor Janice Hahn are asking why security didn't get to the woman faster. Hahn is now calling for a full accounting of the multi-million dollar law enforcement contracts and Metro security.
Hahn says that the Metro security includes 300 Metro Ambassadors that were hired to ride buses and trains to help maintain safety.
"The first thing I am asking for is a full investigation," Hahn said. "We are spending a lot of money for a lot of layers of security on our system. So the first thing I want to find out is where everybody when that attack happened?"
This recent attack comes about a month after a deadly stabbing occurred on the same Blue Line in Long Beach. The man involved suffered stab wounds to his upper body. That was the third attack reported on the system in about a week, at the time.
