A Toronto resident is sharing his experience of being randomly attacked at a TTC subway station.
Matt Beer says he was assaulted without any prior warning or provocation, and stated in a TikTok video that “if it wasn’t for bystanders, he wouldn’t have known what happened to him.”
In the video, posted on Monday, Beer explains that on Aug. 23, at around 3:30 p.m., he was climbing the stairs at Eglinton Station taking “big boy steps” to avoid falling, when he was unexpectedly punched in the face by a man reportedly described as “homeless.”
The attacker was allegedly running down the stairs when he struck Beer. “As I was looking down, he uppercuts me,” Beer added.
Beer said it took him a while to regain his composure after realizing that one corner of his glasses had broken and was lodged in his cheek, causing bleeding.
“(I was) mostly confused due to how sudden and out of nowhere it felt. I didn’t feel scared, at first I even thought it might have been an accident,” Beer told Now Toronto in an email statement on Thursday.
Two women who witnessed the attack quickly came to his aid. They accompanied him to the station’s front desk, where Beer discovered that the same man had allegedly assaulted two other women the previous week, but those women had reportedly not pressed charges.
Beer further shares that the front desk attendant had warned security that the suspect had come into the subway station, and “literally 40 seconds later, the same guy had punched me in the face.”
One of the women, who was behind Beer on the stairs, was visibly shaken, and “begged” him to press charges against the attacker.
Beer told Now Toronto that he told the TTC special constables he would like to press charges.
The TTC says the incident is concerning and that it is investigating.
“Safety of customers and employees is paramount for us. Like everyone, we are concerned about any incidents of this nature. If it was reported to police within 72 hours, we would provide them with video,” TTC Spokesperson Stuart Green said in a statement to Now Toronto on Tuesday.
Toronto police said they have not received a report on the incident but encourages anyone who’s assaulted to report it.
“If someone finds themselves in this situation, it is important that they report it to TTC Special Constables, onsite security or police. We encourage anyone who has been a victim of an assault to report it to police so an investigation can be completed,” Toronto Police Services Const. Ashley Visser said in an email to Now Toronto on Tuesday.
Following the incident, many Torontonians have expressed their concerns and frustrations on social media.
“All levels of government need to be addressing the cost of living and reducing poverty or this is going to keep happening,” one TikTok user said.
“TTC no longer safe…. and they don’t care,” another TikTok user said.
The incident has also left residents feeling uneasy about using the subway system.
“I take Uber to work every morning because 8 a.m. subway scares me now. I’ve lived here 15 years. I’m glad you’re ok!,” one TikTok user commented.
“I am legit afraid of the Toronto system these days – had to get off the train a couple of times due to issues that threatened safety,” another TikTok user added.
Despite the scary situation, Beer says he will continue to use the TTC. He adds that safety concerns within the transit network are not only the TTC’s concerns, but a wider societal issue that needs to be addressed collectively.
“I don’t feel there’s much the TTC can do realistically, its a game of whack a mole, and security is a bandaid, not a cure… Homelessness, addiction and mental illness in the city needs to be addressed and it will help tremendously,” he said.
