In yet another attack on a Los Angeles Metro bus operator, police are searching for a woman who ripped the eyeglasses off a driver’s face on Monday.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, a woman got on the transit bus just before 10 a.m. when it was stopped in the area of Temple and Springs streets in downtown.
“A female suspect aggressively entered the bus and began arguing with the bus operator,” an LAPD news release stated. “During the altercation, the suspect forcefully removed the bus operator’s prescription eyeglasses and exited the bus.”
When the bus driver followed the woman out to get her glasses back, a second altercation occurred, though authorities did not provide any additional details.
The bus driver was able to recover her glasses, but police said they were broken, and that the operator sustained a minor injury to her face during the encounter.
The suspect fled the scene. She was described by police as a white woman around 30 years old, standing about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing approximately 180 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes, police said.
This assault comes after a series of violent attacks on Metro operators and passengers, including a grandmother that was fatally stabbed and another man who was shot and killed, all of which prompted one Metro board member to say she was “afraid” and would not ride the system alone.
For their part, Metro operators staged a “sick out” to call attention to the increase in violence on the transit system and demanded better safety measures.
The Metro Board, which includes L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, has since approved a surge of law enforcement and public safety officers to patrol transit vehicles.
In response to this latest attack, officials at Metro released the following statement to KTLA:
“Metro is angered that yet again a member of our community chose to assault and steal from one of our essential bus operators. Our employees deserve a safe workplace and our customers deserve a safe ride, and we are accelerating our work to prevent crime on our system.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call LAPD’s Central Division Robbery Detective Arrieta at 213-996-1868. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-222-8477 or leave tips online at www.lacrimestoppers.org.