Asian American woman is beaten by juveniles on SEPTA the same day rally for previous SEPTA victim was held

December 2, 2021

An Asian American woman was beaten by two juveniles on the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Regional Rail system on Tuesday, the same day a rally against Asian hate was held in Philadelphia.

Another attack: This is the latest attack to occur on the SEPTA system, and the second involving an Asian American victim in November, following the assault of a group of Asian American teens earlier last month.

According to the Associated Press, SEPTA officials say the 27-year-old Asian American woman was beaten by a 12-year-old and a 13-year-old on a train Tuesday evening. Earlier that same day, hundreds of people in Philadelphia rallied against Asian hate following a racially motivated attack on four Asian American high schoolers just two weeks ago.
The attack on Tuesday occurred when the woman and the two juveniles boarded the train around 6:40 p.m. at 15th Street.
According to a police report, the juveniles and the woman bumped into each other as the train car jerked forward. The woman pushed them off of her and they began to argue. Then, each of the juveniles struck the woman in the face.
SEPTA officials said it was unclear if the assault was racially motivated.
The woman told authorities that neither juvenile had used a racial slur during the altercation and no threats were made to her life. Police said her glasses were broken, and she suffered minor injuries including a cut to her lip and a possible scratch on her eye. The woman declined medical treatment at the SEPTA station.
Officers found the two juveniles a short time later. SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch said the two were charged with simple assault.

Call to action: Community members and SEPTA employees are calling to increase safety measures after a string of violent incidents occurred in SEPTA trains and stations.

Most recently, four Black teenagers were recorded on video yelling slurs and physically assaulting Asian American students on Nov. 17. Christina Lu, one of the victims was punched and kicked after she tried to intervene.
Other recent incidents include a train shooting in June as well as a rape, in which witnesses notably did not respond, in October.
SEPTA hired 60 more security guards in March after a few violent attacks at the beginning of the year.
“We’ve lost control of the subway, and it’s a very dangerous place to be right now,” Local 234 Union President Willie Brown told CBS Philadelphia.
But SEPTA officials say the transit authority police department is still understaffed by more than 40 officers, according to the Associated Press.

Feature Image via Wikimedia Commons / Valerio Pucci (CC BY-SA 4.0) (left), The Philadelphia Inquirer (right)

Share this Article