Subway passengers in New York City came to the rescue of a woman who was being attacked Thursday night in front of her children, the New York Daily News reports.
The violent incident occurred around 7:15 p.m. Thursday on a train headed toward Manhattan when 58-year-old Ramel Jefferson, who was drunk at the time, began assaulting 29-year-old Ana Yates.
There were no other passengers in the subway car aside from Jefferson, Yates and her three young children. Jefferson punched Yates in her face, shoved her into a bench and pole and attempted to drag her by her hair. He also threatened her with a bottle.
Just saw this man being arrested by #NYPD after subway passengers beat him up for hitting a mother who was with her children on the 6 train at Hunts Point according to witnesses. #Bronx pic.twitter.com/UzunK6bxgx
— Allison Papson (@AllisonPapson) November 17, 2017
Byrant Bostick, Yates’ 29-year-old ex-boyfriend and the father of the three kids, said Yates did the right thing by keeping Jefferson’s focus on her and not on the youngsters.
“She’s a good mother and a strong woman,” Bostick said.
As the train pulled into a station, commuters waiting on the platform were shocked to see Jefferson attacking Yates, the newspaper reports. Multiple people intervened by pulling Jefferson away from Yates, throwing him onto the ground and punching and kicking him until police arrived.
“I’m really grateful to those people,” Bostick said. “I’m glad for what they did.”
A witness posted cell phone video of Jefferson being uncooperative with police. Yates sustained cuts on an arm and her chin and also has a bruised right shoulder. She uses the subway every day to bring her kids home from her mother’s house in the Bronx.
Just witnessed a homeless man being beaten by subway passengers after witnesses say he hit a mother who was with her children on the 6 train at Hunts Point. #Bronx pic.twitter.com/x3KyfTjoT0
— Allison Papson (@AllisonPapson) November 17, 2017
Jefferson has been charged with assault, menacing, acting in a manner injurious to children and resisting arrest.
He has at least eight previous arrests for drugs, criminal contempt and theft of service, according to the newspaper.
As of Friday night, Jefferson was being held on $2,500 bail.
[Feature Photo: Ana Yates and her children/ Facebook]
