Couple call for hate crime investigation after violent attack on Metrobus

WASHINGTON – Two men who recently moved to Washington, D.C. say they were victims of a violent attack on a Metro bus and are calling on officials to investigate the incident as a hate crime.

Nico Nieves and Roy Capell, who relocated from Florida in search of a more welcoming environment, witnessed the attack on Halloween night.

After leaving a gay bar on U Street, they boarded a Metrobus around 1:30 a.m. when the confrontation began.

“They attacked all of us from every possible direction.” Capell described the chaos. “I was in the middle trying to block them and protect my partner from getting hit. I took a lot of punches in the back of the head, he took a lot of punches in the face.”

Nieves suffered serious injuries, including a broken nose, two black eyes and missing front teeth, as well as a fractured skull and numerous bruises.

According to WMATA officials, the attack occurred after a group boarded the bus on New Jersey Avenue Northwest in the Shaw neighborhood.

A Metro spokesman said preliminary investigations and video reviews indicated that Nieves and Capell were “belligerent and hostile” toward other passengers, leading to a verbal altercation before they were attacked and robbed of Nieves' necklace and watch.

However, Nieves and Capell dispute this account, claiming they were simply showing affection when a woman started yelling at them.

“They just called us names and asked us why we were gay and, damn it, lots of curse words,” Nieves said. “They started throwing punches because I said it was none of their business who we were, whether I was gay or not.”

Despite the harrowing experience, Nieves and Capell remain optimistic about their new lives in DC. “We are still happy to be in DC and make our lives here,” Nieves explained.

Metro officials confirmed that the case is under investigation and they are currently searching for the suspects involved in the attack.