Location: Georgia ave & Dennis ave, Maryland, Q4 Bus
Time: Evening Rush Hour (3:30pm-7:30pm)

On a very, very crowded bus a young man about 20 years old leaned up against the seat I was sitting in. He was so far up on my seat with his backside that I tried to push him off. He didn’t budge. I noticed something I thought was his bag or backpack kind of going under my left arm. When I glanced to my left I noticed he didn’t have any bags at all. How strange I thought. Then it dawned on me, he’s leaning that far backwards so he can reach under my arm and try to “cop a feel”. So I leaned way over to my right. He almost fell on my seat leaning over to reach at me. That’s when I knew for certain he was trying to rub my left breast. So I sat straight back up and shoved him to the center of aisle. He moved right back to the position he was in. I said “move”. But nothing. He started leaning on me again, really far over me again. As he was leaning I felt him start to move his fingers around seeking out my left breast again. Then he grabbed it. I gave him the front of my elbow and pushed into the aisle again. He stood for about 15 seconds before leaning back on my seat again. This time a man standing next to his wife to my front, said “hey leave that lady alone!”. He shook his [finger] at this guy, apparently having watched the whole thing. But he didn’t do a thing to stop him. The young man leaning on me just shrugged his shoulders in ignorance as if to say “what?” “me?”. So the man with his wife got his wife and on his way off the bus told the driver to “keep an eye on the man wearing black because he was making trouble for that lady” while pointing back towards me.Once again the young man trying to feel my breast shrugged his shoulders as if to say “what, me?” I knew he would be leaning on me again and sticking his arm and hand behind him to reach for my breast. I got a “speed bore bit out of my backpack and clutched it in my hand in preparation for his next attempt. When he reached under my arm, behind his backside I gave him a little stick with the point of the drill bit. It didn’t phase him. He had been drinking alcohol from what I could smell. At this point my mind was beginning to use it’s well honed defense mechanisms to block out what I was afraid was going to be a serious assault. You see I have P.T.S.D. from similar, yet much worse experiences that occurred during my adolescents. I was now reminded of the response the Metro Police Dept. gives women who try to report a rape. I just thought about it and how this young man would get away with this. While I was thinking he had reached backwards and grabbed my breast. I pushed him but he reached right back. This time I dug into my purse for my phone so I could take a couple of pictures of his face. He took notice and moved towards the front of the bus as my phone came out. By the time I had my camera phone app going he was in the front of the bus chatting up the driver. As I tried to get his head in focus he was trying to keep it out of the shot. I started taking pics anyway in the hope of getting anything to identify him.

He was a master at turning from my camera, I wasn’t sure what he was capable of doing so I didn’t want to get too close to him. At the same time I felt somewhat guilty for entire ordeal. What should I have done and what lengths should I have gone to in order to stop him? This all took place in less than 5 minutes. When he saw me get on the bus and sit down he make a B-line right to me. I can’t help but think I did something to entice him. But I really didn’t do a thing that a normal male would interpret as seductive.

Submitted on 8/7/12 by Lauren A.