Woman accused of shoving 63-year-old off MBTA bus in Boston was mad about blocked exit, DA says
By Samantha Chaney
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BOSTON (WBZ) — The woman accused of shoving a 63-year-old woman off an MBTA bus in Boston last week was mad because the victim was blocking the exit, prosecutors said in court on Thursday.
Luz Pineda, 32, pleaded not guilty to one count of assault and battery on an elder or disabled person with injury at her arraignment in Roxbury District Court.
The incident was recorded on video back on September 8 in the area of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Warren Street in Roxbury. Prosecutors said the bus was crowded and it was difficult for riders to exit. Pineda allegedly asked the unidentified woman to move from the exit but she refused. Prosecutors said the two got into an argument, Pineda started screaming at the woman and then kicked her shopping cart off the bus. She then allegedly shoved the woman off the bus onto the sidewalk outside.
According to prosecutors, the woman suffered a concussion, a cut to the outer corner of her eye and a broken blood vessel in her neck and eye. They said she has no memory of the incident.
After the incident, prosecutors said Pineda tried to change her appearance to evade police.
“Surveillance video then showed the defendant leaving, removing her sweatshirt, put her hair up in a bun, in what appeared to be an attempt to change her appearance and evade being identified,” said prosecutor Jacqueline Cassano.
Video of incident posted online Police said a witness recorded video of the incident and posted it on social media. Investigators were able to corroborate it with surveillance video from the bus. Pineda was allegedly identified in the video by neighbors and two anonymous people.
Pineda’s defense attorney Michael McKinnon said she was coming back home from an appointment at Boston Children’s Hospital with her 3-month-old, who was born prematurely. He said he hadn’t viewed the video but that the victim was preventing Pineda and her baby from exiting the bus.
Pineda also has prior charges for assault and battery on a family member and a guilty probation for trafficking cocaine, which she violated.
A judge set Pineda’s bail at $5,000 and said she must stay away from and have no contact with the victim or any witnesses. She was also ordered to stay off MBTA property, including buses and trains. She’s due back in court for a pretrial hearing on Oct. 3.
MBTA statement “Safety will always be at the forefront of everything we do and I’m proud of the prompt response and investigation by the MBTA Transit Police that led to the arrest of this individual,” MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said in a statement.
“The public deserves a safe transportation system and I want them to know that this conduct will not be tolerated anywhere on our system.”
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