An irate commuter terrorized a fellow Metro bus passenger in a caught-on-video confrontation, apparently sparked because the senior citizen sat on him while trying to squeeze into the seat next to him.
It went down about 8 p.m. June 26 on a Metro 720 Rapid Bus, according to rider Erica Rodriguez, who posted the video to her YouTube channel.
An attorney who works in Downtown Los Angeles, Rodriguez was taking the bus home Wednesday night -- as she normally does -- when the fight started.
"It was definitely scary because you hear about incidents on the bus where people pull out guns, so I was, like, oh god, I hope this doesn't get worse," Rodriguez said.
She said the victim was sitting in a front seat, typically reserved for older and handicapped commuters. While the bus was moving, the victim switched seats and appeared to fall into a fellow rider while doing so.
Both men are seated at the start of the video, but then one of them abruptly jumps up.
Victim: “Don’t threaten me.”
Commuter: “I’m not threatening you, buddy. You just assaulted me.”
Victim: “I didn’t…”
Commuter, lunging toward man: “Yes, you did, you sat on me!”
At least twice, the victim can be heard asking someone to call the police, to which the assaulter replies, “I am the police!”
Hurling obscenities and using a derogatory term for a gay man, the commuter berates the older passenger for nearly 3 minutes.
"The bus driver wasn't doing anything, so I didn't feel protected," Rodriguez said.
Of the six riders sitting around the pair, one tries to intervene, telling the commuter to calm down.
The bus driver chimes in twice over the intercom.
At the beginning of the video, he says: “Come on gentlemen, please. Come on.”
Later, he asks, “Gentlemen, please. Do we have to call the police? Just let me know.”
The bus continued on its route, Rodriguez said. Near the end of the video, the driver makes a stop and lets commuters off the bus.
Rodriguez said most of the passengers, including the angry commuter, left the bus and boarded another 720 Rapid Bus that happened to pull up behind the first bus.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which covers the LA Metro system, could not confirm Monday if deputies were called to the bus or if a report was filed.
Warning: The video contains obscene language. To watch, click here.
Photo Credit: littleerica23 via YouTube