Police are searching for a suspect accused of beating a man with autism on a SEPTA bus in Center City.
The incident, which was captured on surveillance video, occurred back on Oct. 26 at 1:15 p.m. on a SEPTA 48 bus along the 2000 block of Market Street.
Police say a 34-year-old man with autism was involved in an argument with an unidentified suspect. The suspect then punched the victim several times. Police say the victim did not provoke any escalation.
“We don’t want anyone attacked and we don’t want someone with special needs who may have a difficulty to be attacked," Philadelphia Police Capt. Sekou Kinebrew said. “But again even if that person wasn’t special needs, what you saw was horrible and enough to classify it as a crime.”
The Philadelphia Autism Project spoke out on the incident, advising the public on what to do in order to prevent any similar situation.
“Remain calm to deescalate, listen with eyes and ears to understand, give more space so as not to intimidate”, Katharine Croce, member of the Philadelphia Autism Project and the Eastern Region director of the ASERT Collaborative, told NBC10.
The suspect is described as a thin, 30-year-old black male standing 5-foot-7 with a goatee. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored knit hat and dark-colored clothing.
