The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE mother of a woman brutally attacked by an unknown man last week fears her daughter may never walk again after both of her legs were broken by the vicious assault.

Louise King-Brice, 63, lamented to The Tribune that her daughter, Latasha Rolle, 44, was “beaten like a dog” without reason in an incident that was captured on camera and went viral.

Ms Rolle, a chef at Margaritaville on Paradise Island, sometimes used the bus to get to work. But last Tuesday, while heading to work, her quick stop at the bank after stepping off the bus turned into a nightmare.

The incident occurred around 2pm at Poinciana Avenue and Baillou Hill Road. Footage showed a man repeatedly punching, hitting, and stomping on Ms Rolle at a busy intersection. Despite her cries for help, bystanders honked their horns but remained in their vehicles. The bus driver also stayed parked, but did not intervene. The assault only stopped when one man intervened and pushed the attacker away.

Mrs King-Brice said her eldest daughter called her in a panic to inform her of the attack. When she saw the video, she dropped her phone and broke down, crying, “Jesus, this man is going to kill my baby.”

Ms Rolle suffered a broken nose, a black eye, two broken legs, and other injuries. At the hospital, she struggled to speak to her family. Sh explained that after leaving the bus, she felt a sudden blow.

Mrs King-Brice said her daughter repeatedly asked the unknown man why he was beating her. He told her that she reminded him of someone he used to know. At one point, he also tried to steal her purse. 

Mrs King-Brice added that from her understanding, the attacker was on the same bus as Ms Rolle who then proceeded to follow her when she got off. The mother questioned why the bus driver didn’t intervene when he saw her daughter being attacked.  

“Nobody came off the bus, and she was crying for help,” Mrs King-Brice said, tearing up. “I need to look for the man who saved her because that other man was going to beat my daughter to death.” 

Ms Rolle’s family is devastated to see her so traumatised. Her two  sons, aged 14 and 17, are struggling to cope with seeing their mother in such a condition. Mrs King-Brice, who is on dialysis and unable to work, lives with Ms Rolle and her sons. Since Ms Rolle is the family’s primary breadwinner, her mother said she’s concerned about how she will cover Ms Rolle’s surgeries and aftercare. 

“She’s going to have to be in a wheelchair,” Mrs King-Brice said tearfully.

“I don’t know how long — maybe for the rest of her life.” 

She said she wants justice for her daughter. She said the attacker should be placed in jail and that his family should help with medical expenses. 

Ms Rolle’s boyfriend, Fylvno George, said he was heartbroken when she called him, hysterical and in pain after being attacked. He rushed to the scene, where he found her bleeding heavily. He said he got an umbrella from someone that he used to stop the blood from pour-ing from Ms Rolle’s legs. 

After waiting nearly an hour for an ambulance that never arrived, he, bystanders, and police helped to gently lift Ms Rolle into his van, stabilising her legs with a board. 

Mr George expressed anger over the lack of intervention by witnesses, saying so many people just recorded and watched while she was fighting for her life. 

The man who attacked Ms Rolle has been charged with grievous harm. However, Mr George said he thinks the man only being charged for grievous harm is insufficient. 

“Lord knows if I had catch him personally, I probably would have been locked up right now,” Mr George said.