MBTA

Police seek youths who smashed MBTA train window, harassed passengers

MBTA Transit Police say a group of boys taunted an Asian woman because of her ethnicity, went after other passengers who tried to intervene, and smashed a window on a Red Line train near JFK/UMass

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Police are looking for a group of youths who smashed a train window and harassed passengers in Boston.

The MBTA Transit Police said the incident happened around 11 p.m. Thursday on a Red Line train near JFK/UMass, where several males threatened to rob people and taunted some because of their ethnicity.

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Authorities say the boys smashed a train window and then fled.

"It's really tough when you see people disrespecting services that people are trying to pay for getting to work, leaving home," said MBTA rider Sean King.

Transit police say the group taunted an Asian woman, then went after other passengers who tried to intervene. Next, they allegedly harassed and threatened to rob passengers.

"Creating standard rules and practices for people to respect each other on the trains, and just create, like, a calm and peaceful environment would be beneficial," said MBTA rider Juliet Okorie.

Police are still looking for the youths responsible.

Commuters who spoke with NBC10 Boston say they are not comfortable getting on the trains by themselves.

"This is new for me," said Kinvi Shah, a student from India. "I don't see these kinds of things when I was in my home country."

Shah has lived in America for two years.

"I feel, like, kind of unsafe when I'm in the subway," she said. "If it's daytime and I'm with my friends, then I'm OK, but when I'm alone, I don't use it."

Police say just two weeks ago, a man yelled racial slurs at an Asian woman and spat on her at the Broadway station. Back in February, two men yelled racial epithets and threw a Gatorade bottle at an Asian woman at the Davis stop.

Thursday's incident remains under investigation.

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