Eighteen-year-old college student Jennifer Kutosa (pictured) relied on the TTC for her daily trip to George Brown College, and for the most part her experiences with the streetcar commute on the busy King St. line were positive. The doors always opened for her and she got to school on the cheap by using her Metropass. But her perception of the public transit service was dramatically altered when those same doors slammed shut on her when she desperately needed help.
Kutosa was beaten by two thugs while trying to board the 504 car at King St. and Yonge on Tuesday at around 3pm, and she maintains the driver of the streetcar saw her ordeal, but closed the doors and took off without helping or calling authorities, leaving her to fend for herself.
The assailants ended up stealing her Metropass and assaulting her in the process.
"I got hit in the head...about four or five times," she recalls.
"The T.T.C. driver took off. He did see me."
Jennifer did her best to fend off the attackers.
"I had the first one by the throat," the feisty teen adds.
A few bystanders tried to help her, but they quickly retreated when the suspects suggested they had weapons and weren't afraid to use them.
"They were claiming that they had guns and that they were going to shoot people. They got away," one of the witnesses claimed.
T.T.C. Chair Adam Giambrone says it's standard protocol for drivers to call police when they see a crime taking place, and they are encouraged to lend a hand if they can.
"The operator's supposed to get in contact with the police, and try to assist if possible," he said.
The two suspects haven't been caught and their diminutive but determined victim has a stern warning for them.
"I have a word for the two boys that did this to me and I call them boys because men would never be so stupid," she wrote
CityNews in an email. "I will see you again and cops will be called. They will catch you and you will be praying that you never did this to me. You may have thought that I looked small and was an easy target but you were wrong.
"I put up a fight and I'm going to do everything possible to get you caught for doing this to me."
Here's a look at what you can do to help yourself if you're in trouble:
Remember what you can
Every detail - what they were wearing, their facial features, their height and weight, their clothing, their voice, even a strange smell - is helpful. Despite your fright, try and find some key unique clue, like a mole, a scar or a tattoo, that might help cops track the suspect. And check out the car they use to get away or the direction they went. You don't need to know anything about automobiles to get a colour or whether it's two or four doors.
Give them what they want
If you're involved in a robbery, give them your money. It can be replaced. You can't.
Call the cops right away
It sounds like a no-brainer but some people in shock wait. And that lets the perpetrator get that much farther away.
Get witness info
Did someone see what happened? Make sure you get their name and a contact number. Cops will want to speak to them.
Don't get rid of the evidence
You don't have to be a fan of CSI to know that anyone who has physical contact with you will leave something of themselves behind. Unless you're seriously injured, try to preserve as much physical evidence as possible.
What to do if you're being followed
Should you be a Good Samaritan?
It's a question we may all have asked ourselves at one time or another: what would I do if I came across a crime in progress? There are no hard and fast answers, of course, and there are a lot of variables. Coming to the aid of someone in danger is a noble deed, but it's also fraught with peril, especially if you're entering the situation without any knowledge.
There's no way of knowing if the person is armed and how many others may be involved. And the circumstances may not always be what they seem. Plus, you may inadvertently make things worse by escalating the situation. In general, police almost always advise you to call them instead of taking the chance, because there's not much you can do once you're in the middle of a tense life-or-death drama.
So how can you help? Here are some suggestions:
Be a good witness
Take in as much as you can and be prepared to tell police what you saw.
Get the license number
If the culprit escapes in a car, the best thing you can do is get a discreet look at the plate. That could potentially lead police right to them.
Take a picture
Most cell phones come with built in cameras. A photo or video of the incident can be invaluable for cops.
Don't go it alone
Strength in numbers may be the only way to ensure your safety and even then it's a dangerous decision.
Could you be liable?
You may not know it, but Ontario has a Good Samaritan Act that's designed to protect you if you get involved at an accident or crime scene.
See what it says here.