An attack on a Broward County Transit bus left a 70-year-old woman battered and bruised, prompting the Broward County Sheriff’s Office to release surveillance video of the incident in hopes someone can identify the suspect who fled the scene after the assault.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office indicated the victim was sitting in the Americans with Disabilities Act-designated section of a Broward County Transit bus in Lauderdale Lakes on 21 October when another passenger who was standing bumped into the seated woman several times due to the movement of the bus as it traveled through the area.
The victim asked her attacker to provide her with some personal space, a reasonable request that instead triggered a verbal confrontation that rapidly escalated into physical violence.
“At some point, the lady who was seated, the 70-year-old woman, asked the woman who was standing if she could give her some space, that sparked an argument,” stated Carey Codd, Broward Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, describing how a simple request for consideration devolved into an assault.
The argument escalated quickly, with officials indicating the attacker intentionally and forcefully pushed her own body into the victim repeatedly, using her physical presence as a weapon before the confrontation became even more violent.
The attacker then grabbed a grocery bag and struck the victim multiple times in her face with the bag, using an everyday object as an improvised weapon to inflict harm on the elderly woman who remained seated in the disability section where she had every right to be.
The sheriff’s office indicated the victim attempted to defend herself using her cane, a mobility aid that the 70-year-old woman relied upon and which she was forced to wield as a defensive tool. However, the attacker escalated the violence further by beginning to punch the victim directly in the head with closed fists, strikes that posed serious danger to the elderly woman.
Fellow passengers intervened to assist the victim, physically separating her from her attacker and preventing further violence. The bus driver also witnessed the incident unfolding and was able to stop the bus in the 4100 block of West Oakland Park Boulevard to allow intervention and prevent the attacker from continuing the assault.
The sheriff’s office indicated that when the bus stopped, the attacker and another woman who was with her fled the scene before law enforcement could arrive, escaping without facing immediate consequences for the violent assault that had occurred in view of multiple witnesses and surveillance cameras.
The victim suffered bruising on her forehead from the repeated strikes but refused medical treatment at the scene, choosing not to be transported to a hospital despite the violence she had endured.
“Fortunately the victim did not suffer any major injuries. She was treated on scene,” Codd stated, noting that whilst the woman avoided serious harm, the attack could easily have resulted in far worse injuries given the vulnerability of elderly individuals to head trauma and the force used by the attacker.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office is requesting that anyone with information about the identity of the attacker or the woman who accompanied her contact the BSO Violent Crimes Unit Detective Andres Lopez at 954-321-4915 or submit a tip through the SafeWatch application. The release of surveillance footage showing the attack in progress is intended to generate tips from members of the public who may recognise the suspect.
“This is repulsive,” Codd added. “This is something that should never happen; it should not happen in any type of civilised society. What this woman did is absolutely unacceptable,” expressing the law enforcement response to an incident that targeted one of society’s most vulnerable populations in a public space where people should feel safe.
Those who wish to remain anonymous whilst providing information and be eligible for a cash reward can contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477), submit tips online at browardcrimestoppers.org, or dial **TIPS (8477) from any mobile phone in the United States. If a tip provided through Crime Stoppers leads to an arrest in the case, the tipster is eligible for a reward of up to $5,000, providing financial incentive for information whilst protecting the identity of those who come forward.
