Going to work can be tough, but for a Garland woman, it was particularly tough Thursday.
Two days ago, a man high on K2 attacked her at DART’s Buckner train station on her way to work.
“This morning, I was like super nervous,” said the woman. “My heart was racing.”
She asks not to be identified because she feared that she would see the man at the train station again. Until now, the woman wasn't familiar with K2.
The epidemic in and around DART train stations is well documented, but DART acknowledges there's a growing K2 problem at its other stations. They have been working with the Dallas Police Department to tackle the issue.
The victim says the attacked happened about 7 a.m. Tuesday, just before daylight. She says she a man who appeared suspicious, so she decided to walk around him.
“He made a growling noise and lunged at me and grabbed me around the neck,” she said. “I screamed and twisted and ran away.”
She fell, badly bruising her knees. She’s got scratches on her neck from where he tried to choke her.
“I was terrified,” she said. “I was absolutely terrified. I was sobbing. It was horrible. Looking at his face, you could tell something just wasn't right.”
When she boarded the train Thursday, she had her pepper spray with her. She plans to buy a Taser and to be even more observant.
Still, she says she is angry with how DART handled her attack. She says DART police gave the man a ticket for simple assault – a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine – and let him go.
“The police really dropped the ball,” she said. “I was fortunate enough to get away from the guy. What if he grabbed a kid or a person who couldn't defend themselves. He needed to go to jail.”
DART police declined to comment on her case. They said in a case like this, the man would have been issued a criminal trespass warning and barred from DART property.
She said she will keep riding the train.
“Obviously, I'm more nervous. I'm more hesitant,” she said. “But I can't let it deter me. I'm not going to let my fear not let me live my life.”
