Asian man brutally attacked on Seattle bus calls for better passenger safety

An Asian American man was viciously attacked by another passenger on a King County Metro bus in First Hill, Seattle, on Sept. 29. The victim called for King County Metro to improve passenger safety by giving drivers more discretion to deny boarding to potentially dangerous individuals.

What happened: The attacker, described as a homeless individual, assaulted the man with body slams, punches, scratches and even bit him “to the point of bleeding.” The victim believes the attack was racially motivated due to racist language used during the assault, leaving him with physical and emotional trauma. “The racial element to this really struck a chord with me. In the 20+ years of my life, I’ve never heard such violent language. They started coming at me and screaming really insanely racist stuff at me,” he told KING 5 Seattle.
System failure: The victim expressed frustration over the lack of help from the bus driver and the broader public transit system, which he and his friends plan to avoid in the future. “You know the person that attacked me obviously has some blame, right, but it’s really the whole system that’s failed us,” he noted. King County Metro previously made efforts to address safety by increasing transit security officers and collaborating with behavioral health specialists, but investigations into this incident are ongoing and a description of the attacker has not been released. This incident is part of a larger trend, as a recent study revealed that nearly 40% of Asian residents in Seattle have experienced anti-Asian hate in the past year, with 1 in 5 adding that they had been physically attacked.

Share this Article