Juvenile Accused of Throwing Bleach in MBTA Bus Incident

A 15-year-old is being held on $100,000 bail after being accused of throwing bleach in the face of a passenger riding the 28 bus last week.

The juvenile, a female from Roxbury, is facing charges of unarmed robbery, willful and malicious destruction of property under $250, mayhem and indecent assault and battery along with co-defendant Lai Lawnnie Douglas, 22, according to Jake Wark, spokesman for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office. Roxbury District Court Judge David Poole imposed $20,000 bail for Douglas.

Douglas was also held on a probation detainer for violating the terms of her probation on a 2008 case out of Roxbury District Court in which she was charged with larceny from a person, witness intimidation, carrying a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery, according to Wark.

Boston Juvenile Court Judge Paul Lewis revoked the juvenile defendant’s bail in an open case out of Brookline charging her with assault and battery and shoplifting. Her name is not being released because she is a juvenile.

According to prosecutors, Douglas, the juvenile and a third female boarded an MBTA bus at Dudley Station at approximately 1:50 a.m. on Sunday, June 9 and sat in the rear of the bus directly across from the male victim, according to Wark. Both defendants were allegedly captured on surveillance camera slapping the victim, and prosecutors say Douglas can be seen reaching into the man’s pocket and taking cash, a credit card and personal papers that she ripped and threw at the victim, prosecutors said. 

The juvenile held an open bottle of liquid, later determined to be bleach, near the victim’s nose and lips and tossed the bleach at the victim’s face and chest as the defendants exited the bus at Grove Hall, prosecutors said.  

MBTA Transit Police last week released surveillance images of the defendants and received information from several individuals identifying Douglas and the juvenile defendant. One anonymous caller told investigators that Douglas commented on Facebook that she was “going on the run” as a result of the incident, which prosecutors said was confirmed by police.

The victim is continuing to receive treatment for impaired vision caused by the bleach thrown in his eye. 

The juvenile will be back in court July 1, Douglas will return to court July 19.