Couple calls for hate crime investigation after violent attack on Metrobus
WASHINGTON - Two men who recently moved to Washington, D.C., say they were the victims of a violent attack on a Metrobus and are urging officials to investigate the incident as a hate crime.
Nico Nieves and Roy Capell, who relocated from Florida seeking a more welcoming environment, experienced the assault on Halloween night.
After leaving a gay bar on U Street, they boarded a Metrobus around 1:30 a.m. when 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 sustained severe injuries, including a broken nose, two black eyes, and missing front teeth, as well as a fractured skull and numerous bruises.
According to WMATA officials, the assault occurred after a group boarded the bus at New Jersey Avenue Northwest in the Shaw neighborhood.
A Metro spokesperson indicated that preliminary investigations and video reviews suggested that Nieves and Capell were "belligerent and antagonistic" toward other passengers, which led to a verbal altercation before they were assaulted and robbed of Nieves's necklace and watch.
DC Metrobus attack victim speaks exclusively with FOX 5 about what led up to brutal assault
In an exclusive interview with FOX 5, Kyla Thurston, the woman seen being attacked and pushed off of a D.C. Metrobus says she hopes what happened to her will compel Metro officials to find a way to keep the same thing from happening to anyone else.
However, Nieves and Capell dispute this narrative, claiming they were simply being affectionate when a woman began yelling at them.
"They were just calling us names, questioning why we are gay and f****, bunch of names," Nieves said. "They started throwing punches because I said it was none of their business who we are, if I’m gay or not."
Despite the harrowing experience, Nieves and Capell remain optimistic about their new life in D.C. "We’re still happy to be in D.C. and make our lives here," Nieves stated.
Metro officials confirmed that the case is under active investigation, and they are currently searching for the suspects involved in the attack.