Videos of subway fights taken by observers and spread on the web in an attempt to attain viral glory are an unfortunate reality thanks to sites such as World Star Hip-Hop. It's rarer to hear from the people actually involved in these videos—but 55-year-old Charles Bunn spoke to the Times about his experience being attacked by two teenage girls on a 4 train in Brooklyn last month. And one of those alleged attackers, 18-year-old Chantelis Solano, also opened up about it: “The video showed a totally different side of me that I try to leave in my past,” she said. You can see the video-in-question below.
Bunn, who got out of prison a month ago after stealing shoes from Macy's, told the Times he got onto the 4 train at the Utica Avenue stop in Brooklyn on the afternoon of Jan. 24 th when he was bumped into by Solano and a friend. When they sat down across from him, he said, “You could have at least said, ‘Excuse me.’ ” Bunn said one of the girls took offense at that: “They both jumped up, and then I jumped up, and that’s when the tussle started."
As you can see in the video, the two teens appear to be slapping and punching Bunn at first while he crouches down; Bunn then starts fighting back, though he doesn't think he connected with any of his punches: “I was swinging just to back them off,” he said. Another person steps in and breaks up the fight, which is when Solano starts to take her clothes off, and says something about being pregnant. Even so, she appears to continue baiting Bunn after that.
Bunn told the Times the girls followed him off of the train, continuing to shout and curse at him; at some point, more punches were thrown as well. Cops saw them scuffling at some point, and both Solano and 17-year-old Shaquana Rhem were arrested and charged with assault, harassment and possession of a weapon (for striking Bunn with a purse).
Bunn, who has been in jail four times for various theft and drugs-related crimes, said it took everything he had not to fight back more: “I have to suck up a lot of things now,” he said. “I’m amazed I didn’t do what I wanted to do.” Solano confirmed she was pregnant (she had just found out), and she and Rhem were headed to the Bronx for a sonogram.
Solano, who has a pending case involving an assault in Westchester County from two years ago, claims Bunn started the fight and punched them before the video began: “I’m a victim.” She added that she lost the baby ten days after the fight.
