Two men, who have recently relocated to Washington, D.C., share a harrowing account of a violent attack they experienced on a Metrobus. They are urging officials to thoroughly investigate the incident as a potential hate crime.
Nico Nieves and Roy Capell, who moved from Florida in search of a friendlier atmosphere, were victims of an attack on Halloween night.
Around 1:30 a.m., they found themselves on a Metrobus after leaving a gay bar on U Street. It was at this moment that the confrontation began.
“They were all hitting us from all different angles.” Capell described the chaos. “I was in the middle trying to block them and protect my partner from getting hit. I took a lot of punches to the back of the head, he took a lot of punches to his face.”
Nieves suffered from extensive injuries, which included a fractured skull, broken nose, two black eyes, missing front teeth, and various bruises.
A group boarded the bus at New Jersey Avenue Northwest in the Shaw neighborhood, as reported by WMATA officials. It was during this time that the assault took place.
According to a spokesperson from Metro, initial investigations and video reviews indicate that Nieves and Capell were engaged in a heated and confrontational exchange with other passengers. This altercation eventually escalated, resulting in Nieves and Capell being assaulted and robbed of Nieves’s necklace and watch.
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During a recent interview with FOX 5, Kyla Thurston, the woman who was attacked and forcibly pushed off a D.C. Metrobus, expressed her hope that the incident will motivate Metro officials to take preventative measures to ensure the safety of others in similar situations.
Nieves and Capell, on the other hand, challenge this account, asserting that they were merely showing affection to each other when a woman started shouting at them.
“They called us names and questioned our sexuality, using derogatory language,” Nieves recounted. “They became physically aggressive when I asserted that our sexual orientation was none of their concern.”
Nieves and Capell, despite going through a difficult ordeal, maintain a positive outlook on their new life in D.C. “We are still delighted to be in D.C. and create our own lives here,” Nieves expressed.
Metro officials have confirmed that they are actively investigating the case and are currently searching for the suspects involved in the attack.