72 year old Baltimore bus passenger beaten up on MTA bus cause he wouldn’t stop coughing. Two black females along with 60 year old black man suspect wanted.
A 72-year-old bus passenger was ’seriously assaulted’ last month by other passengers who were angry that he was coughing on the bus, in East Baltimore according to a report.
The incident happened at about 1:30 p.m. March 19, on East Fayette near Montford Avenue FOX5News reports.
Maryland Transit Administration did not provide details on the incident until this weekend.
The beating comes amid increased social anxiety following the outbreak of the coronavirus sweeping the US and the world, with the US to date exhibiting the highest mortality rates.
According to the report, two female passengers demanded that the victim stop coughing.
The victim replied he wasn’t coughing on purpose and that he couldn’t help it.
The females, described as black females in their 30’s allegedly kept yelling at the 72 year old man. Of note, authorities declined to publicly identify the race of the victim, who is thought to also to be African American.
At some point a man, revealed to also be black, becoming involved in the argument.
The man told the victim, ‘Watch your mouth, those are young ladies you’re talking to.’ The victim responded: ‘I am an old man, I’m 70 years old.’ The man responded: ‘I’m 60 years old.’
The man then allegedly pushed the victim, face down, to the floor of the bus.
The suspect, and the two females, then fled from the bus.
The victim was unconscious from the fall. He was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital in serious but stable condition. MTA said he was apparently released from the hospital. It remained unclear when the victim was released and the extent of his injuries.
The suspect is identified only as a black male, about 60 years old, last seen wearing a gray shirt. The other two are described only as a black female, about 30 years old, wearing a pink jacket; and a black female with no clothing description.
The male suspect had boarded the bus at East Fayette and North Washington streets.
Authorities are now asking the public to help them identify two suspects and two persons of interest.
Not immediately clear is why it took Baltimore authorities over a month to release details of the case.
