A man banned from riding MARTA for failure to pay, returned and allegedly assaulted another rider, according to Channel 2 Action News.
MARTA police arrested Laquai Barrett in late March and charged him with aggravated assault and criminal trespass, after he was seen on camera allegedly assaulting another rider.
Video surveillance from MARTA train car 616 shows a man with a skateboard attacking a 26-year-old woman.
The woman’s mother, who asked Channel 2 not to share her identity, said the March 23 assault could have killed her daughter.
“A skateboard, Oh my God, that’s a deadly weapon,” she said, comparing the size and force of a two-by-four to a skateboard.
She told Channel 2 her daughter was sore, bruised and scared after the assault.
“We’re supposed to feel safe taking MARTA,” the mother said.
Barrett had been banned from MARTA at the time of the attack for not paying.
A MARTA spokesman on Monday said such crimes are comparatively rare, but the company regrets that one of its riders was injured.
“MARTA police worked quickly to make an arrest in this case and we are taking positive steps, such as installing surveillance cameras in every rail car, to make our transit system even safer and more secure,” the company said.
Barrett was also wanted on a failure to appear charge out of Fulton County at the time of the attack.
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