A Metro ambassador is speaking out after she was violently assaulted earlier this month.
Joanna Juarez, 27, said she was the ambassador who was punched at the Little Tokyo Metro Station on the morning of Feb. 15.
The program, which Metro says is intended to “support riders on Metro buses, trains and stations, connect [passengers] to resources and report maintenance and safety concerns,” does not give enforcement powers to its employees, Juarez said.
“We can’t do anything,” she said. “All we can do is provide information. We’re not security, we’re not police. We only report.”
Despite that role, Juarez fell victim to an attack that broke a tooth and left her bleeding. She said her attacker was a man who was carrying his shoes and talking to himself, “erratic behavior” that led her to keep her distance.
Despite her attempts to steer clear, the man went down toward the platform, then returned to the fare gate where Juarez and her partner were posted.
“He came up the stairs and when he did, he didn’t have his shoes in his hand anymore,” she said. “He was still talking to himself, saying ‘B—, where are my shoes?'”
He directed his attention toward Juarez, who tried to respond but was interrupted by a punch to the face. Police arrested 30-year-old Peter Pedroche the next day in connection with the attack.
“I am glad because … he could assault somebody else,” she said. “It could have been worse. What if he had a knife? What if he had a weapon?”
Juarez, a Monterey Park resident who also takes classes at Cal State L.A., said this is the third frightening incident she’s had with an unhoused person in her year and three months as a Metro ambassador, but this one, in particular, has impacted her mental health.
“After this incident, I haven’t been OK, honestly,” she said. “I’ve been, a majority of the time, at home or going to school. My well-being is not good at the moment.”
While she’s weighing the idea of continuing her work as an ambassador, she remains frustrated with the danger she faces at her job.
“I’m glad they got the suspect. When it comes to my job, it’s fun to interact with people. That’s the fun part,” she said. “But it’s very unsafe. I believe they should really have more security on site.”
Juarez said in her experience, police and deputies do respond to incidents, but only after they occur, not to prevent or stop attacks as they happen.
“I strongly believe that there should be a lot of security, or if anything, be more organized,” she said.
Metro Communications Director Dave Sotero said safety is the agency’s No. 1 priority.
“Over the past year Metro has seen an overall, month-over-month reduction in serious crimes on our transit system due to our multilayered public safety plan, which includes ambassadors, law enforcement, contracted security, Metro security, homeless and mental health outreach workers,” Sotero said in a statement to KTLA. “These resources work strategically together to help keep the Metro system safe and secure.”