Can't a guy just ride the train in peace without being accosted, called racial slurs and getting punched?
In the Bay Area, a man was caught on camera attacking an Asian passenger on a BART train, calling him racial slurs before punching him multiple times. The video, recorded Monday night, has since gone viral.
The assault happened on the Richmond line going south to Fremont around 10:00 PM. A man in a blue shirt boarded the train at the Coliseum station and got into a verbal altercation with another passenger, San Francisco Chronicle as Charles Wu, who was sitting down. According to a witness, the man was saying the n-word repeatedly on the train, and Wu stepped in and told him to stop. Blue shirt apparently didn't like that.
Video of the incident, recorded and posted to social media by fellow passenger Wiseley Wu (no relation), shows the man calling Charles Wu a "Chinese n**ger," among other profanities, and threatening to punch him. Things escalate when he reaches over and hits Wu in the shoulder and head.
First, note the guy sitting next to Charles, who wants nothing to do with this situation and gets the fuck out of the way, like, immediately. Not his problem, apparently.
Second, note the voices of fellow passengers trying to dissuade Charles from delivering his retort, most likely in the form of an asskicking. Honorable mention goes to the woman who gets in between them.
Most importantly, note the immense restraint displayed by Charles, who keeps a cool head and doesn't beat the shit out of blue shirt like most of us would probably want to, and likely would. I can't condone violence, but I wouldn't have blamed Charles for going in. Because dammit, you know he wanted to.
Wu told KRON that the punches didn't hurt, but if the woman hadn't gotten between him and blue shirt, he might have swung back. But he knew he had too much to lose.
No one else apparently said anything to intervene until the assailant got off the train at Union City.
Authorities eventually responded and boarded the train but were unable to locate the suspect. BART police is investigating the incident and continuing to interview witnesses.
Anyone with information about Monday night's incident is asked to contact BART police investigations at (510) 464-7040. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can call (510) 464-7011.
More here: VIRAL: Man throws punches, racial slurs at passenger riding BART
