A 16-year-old male has been arrested in connection with last month’s disturbance on a Massachusetts Red Line subway train that involved the racist harassment of an Asian woman.
Background: Vivian Dang, 25, was heading to Ashmont at around 10 p.m. on Sept. 21 when a group of teens boarded the train and threatened to rob passengers. When she moved to a different car, they turned their attention to her and began racially attacking her.
“They started throwing words at me like ‘ching chong’ and other Asian slurs. I didn’t let that get to me, but they continued to call me a slut and other terms of that sort and started saying stuff like ‘Can I get an egg roll for $1?’ and naming other Asian foods in a mocking Asian accent. Continued to say stuff about dogs and cats, like ‘No wonder my dogs are missing.’”
Dang managed to film part of the incident, which her sister Vanessa shared on TikTok. The teens left the train after breaking one of its windows.
The arrest: On Monday, MBTA Transit Police announced that they arrested a 16-year-old male in connection with the incident. He is facing charges of unarmed assault with intent to rob and assault for the purpose of intimidation.
What’s next: Investigation into the case is ongoing. It remains to be seen whether the arrested teen will be prosecuted as a juvenile or an adult.
