MIAMI (WSVN) - A woman who was attacked by a man while riding on board the Miami MetroMover has demanded action from officials to make the train system safer.
Two brutal attacks on the transit system happened weeks apart on the free transit ride in September, sparking a county meeting on Friday to discuss changes that need to be made to make it safer.
“In the past months, we had two very violent attacks on the MetroMover,” Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins said. “I can tell you that I’ve been on the MetroMover and have felt unsafe.”
The first attack happened on Sept. 4 at the Fifth Street station in the city’s Brickell neighborhood.
Surveillance cameras captured Joshua James King punching and throwing Andrea Puerta.
“I also have here — I have a lot of marks on my body,” Puerta said. “The MetroMover has six cameras. There was nobody there. Where was the security of the MetroMover?”
Weeks later, on Sept. 20, police said Robert Lee Ribbs went after 73-year-old Eduardo Fernandez. His skull was fractured, and his cheekbone was embedded into his sinus cavity.
Fernandez’s son was outraged something like that could ever happen.
“The authorities has to make more secure these places,” Eduardo Fernandez, the victim’s son, said.
Both attackers have been arrested, and county and city leaders have beefed up patrols, but riders question if they will be safe while catching a ride.
“We have seen not enough attention paid to MetroMover security, and so that is why we’re here tonight,” Higgins said.
One of the items discussed during the meeting was artificial intelligence. Commissioners were questioning if cameras would be able to locate any aggressive behavior on the train, notify police and get them on the scene as quickly as possible.
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