Philly woman arrested in SEPTA bus beatdown

Breaking News Desk

Philadelphia Police say they have arrested a woman in the unprovoked beating of a passenger on SEPTA bus that was captured on video.

Cassie Darby, 49, of Philadelphia, was charged this morning with simple assault and reckless endangerment.

Police say she is the woman in pink shirt and white-framed sunglasses seen in a video captured May 31, on the Route 23 SEPTA bus. On the video, the woman boards the bus on the 5700 block of Germantown Ave., she sits for a moment, then rushes over to a man near the back where she punches and slaps him at least 15 times in the head and shoulders.

NewsWorks.org identified the victim as Bas Slabbers, 35, who works as a freelance photographer for the website.

As seen on the video, Slabbers puts up his arms to shield the blows, but doesn't fight back. He eventually stands up, showing he's much taller than his attacker. At least eight passengers watch the assault without intervening.

The woman, described as stocky, black and about 5-foot-5, got off the bus at the Germantown and Chelten Avenues and "fled on foot in an unknown direction," according to police.

Slabbers told police the woman was a total stranger, and he did nothing to instigate the attack.

Court records show that Darby has had a string of offenses stretching back to 1985 including assault, robbery and drugs.