A D.C. man says he was taking a Metrobus to the Anacostia Metro Station when a stranger set his shirt on fire.
“Crazy, you know,” Eric Walton said. “Like, I never even spoke to that guy.”
Walton says he was on the way to the library with friends on the A4 bus around noon Nov. 2 when he felt a strange sensation.
“I smelled something burning, felt something warm, felt something hot, looked over to my shoulder and noticed a fire,” he said.
Video shows Walton pat it out quickly, but that was just the beginning of the traumatic ride. Walton said his attacker called him a series of expletives.
“He laughed about it, and then afterwards, he slammed his fist against the glass and said, ‘Trump for president, white equality,’” Walton said.
As the bus continued, Walton subtly took out his cellphone to call police, who were waiting at the Anacostia station when the bus arrived about 15 minutes later.
“It felt like an hour, to be honest,” Walton said.
Prosecutors identified the alleged attacker as Derek Palmer. After he was taken into custody, he attacked a police officer and has been in jail ever since, investigators said.
“I’m glad that he’s off the streets for now, that he can’t hurt me or someone else again,” Walton said. “But also, I’m a firm believer that anyone can change.”
Walton said he’s still a public transit advocate but advises fellow riders to always pay attention to their surroundings.
“Be safe, but also do the best you can to advocate for yourself,” he said.
Palmer is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and assault on a police officer.
