Twitter A screengrab of the video showing the altercation on a bus in the U.K.
A shocking altercation on a bus in the United Kingdom has been captured on video and shows a man kicking a teenage girl in the face before getting attacked by another passenger. The incident occurred after the man began yelling racial insults at the 16-year-old passenger over not wearing a mask, the West Midlands Police said.
According to the police department’s post on Twitter:
A teenager was racially abused and attacked on a bus in [Hill Top, West Bromwich]. An argument broke out on the 79 bus in [Moxley] at around 5.40pm on 1 October, before a fellow passenger racially abused the 16-year-old and kicked her. He was then thrown to the ground by another passenger, who then stamped on his head.
We have spoken to the girl, and are examining mobile phone footage which has been shared on social media. We take racially aggravated crimes extremely seriously, and our enquiries continue. Anyone with information has been asked to get in touch with us via Live Chat, 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Quote 20SW/240154T/20.
According to the Birmingham Mail, police issued a photo of a man who may have more information about the attack and are asking the public for help identifying that person. A spokesperson told the outlet: “We want to speak to this man after a teen was racially abused and attacked on a bus in Hill Top, West Bromwich.”
The Video of the Incident Showed a Couple Verbally Abusing a Teenage Passenger Before the Altercation Became Physical
This is the shocking moment a male bus passenger kicks a teenage girl in the face after ‘racially abusing her’ for not wearing a mask – before a man in a suit intervenes and stamps on him in retaliation.
Footage shows a middle-aged couple and the 16-year-old having a furious row.
The footage, shot on a passenger’s mobile phone, shows a couple arguing with a young female passenger over her not wearing a mask on the bus. The man can be heard saying, “put the f****** mask on,” as the woman says, “I don’t want to put up with you sitting next to us with no mask on. You’re spreading it. You’re spreading it around people.”
The man’s tirade becomes racist as he yells, “I’m not being racist but the virus is more common in Black and Asians. Put your f****** mask on.” The woman also tells the teenager, “It’s lucky you’re 16, or I would knock you the f*** out.”
Later in the video, as the couple gets up to leave the bus, the man attempts to kick the teenage girl in the face, who screams and stands up to confront him. At that point, the video shows another passenger in a suit rushing toward the altercation and shoving the perpetrator to the floor. The passenger yells at the perpetrator, “What the f*** are you doing, you piece of s***. I will murder you.”
That passenger is then seen stomping on the man’s head and attempts to push the couple off the bus. The video ends as the passenger in the suit attempts to get the man off the bus. None of the people in the video have been publicly identified.
The U.K. Has Seen a Spike in Cases in Recent Days & Experienced a Technical Glitch in Its Reporting Tool
According to data from John Hopkins University, the U.K. had 505,619 coronavirus cases as of midday on October 5, and 42,440 reported deaths. The country has seen a spike in cases in recent days and admitted that a technical glitch meant that almost 16,000 cases had gone unreported between September 25 and October 2, BBC News said. According to the outlet, those who tested positive in that time period were informed, but contact tracing did not occur.
The U.K. government has mandated the use of masks in various indoor settings, including public transport, shops and supermarkets. The mandate doesn’t apply to those under the age of 11 and people who are unable to wear a mask “because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability,” according to the government website.
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