Boston

Disabled Man Beaten on MBTA After Taking Photos; Attack Caught on Camera

A disabled man who walks with a cane was badly beaten Monday afternoon on an MBTA train while a fellow passenger, who says the victim deserved it, shot video of the incident.

The 66-year-old man, whose name is being withheld, was still in pain Friday. He took a photo of a woman on the train, and another passenger objected.

Soon, a man police identified as 31-year-old Tukan Manley confronted the victim and a fight broke out.

"He starts belting me around pretty good," the man said. "I got a good shot into him, and he got mad. Like, 'How dare you hit me? 'It's alright for him to attack me, but I can't hit him back? And then he got more savage."

Makeda Payton recorded video of the incident, posted it on Facebook and continues to say the man deserved to be attacked.

"I wouldn't call it 'savagely,' because he could have done a lot worse. The guy — I didn't see any blood drawn," Payton said.

NBC10 Boston told Payton the man was left with several broken ribs.

"Broken ribs?" she replied. "Well, I don't know."

Most passengers stood around as the fight unfolded. One of them even scrolled through photos on the victim's phone, with some showing a woman near her car.

"He looks like he's, like, stalking someone," Payton said.

The man admits he likes taking photos of women as a hobby. But investigators say they never found any inappropriate pictures on his phone.

He believes the crowd jumped to conclusions.

"One little twerp starts talking 'pervert,' and the rest of them, all of the sudden, that's what I am," he said.

The footage appears to show just one person trying to come to the man's defense. Payton says she has no regrets about mocking the victim and not stepping in to help.

"There's really no evidence that he was doing anything really inappropriate, and then he ends up getting beaten up on the train," NBC10 Boston reporter Michael Rosenfield told her.

"Are you attacking me?" Payton replied. "It kind of sounds like you are. I feel like I'm being attacked by you."

"I'm seeing an old man getting beaten up by a young guy," Rosenfield told her.

"I feel like you might be a person that must be some sort of a creep, as well, because you're really coming to the defense of this man," she answered.

Manley is facing several charges, including assault and battery on a disabled person and strangulation. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

Police said more arrests could potentially be made.

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