Brutal beating on school bus caught on surveillance tape

Police indicate that the beating of student while on a school bus in Belleview, Il. could be "racially motivated." The surveillance footage of the incident is being reviewed and the police are continuing their investigation.

The Belleville News-Democrat reports that a student’s beating was captured on video. While on a school bus Monday, two Belleville West students beat and choked another student. The two black students, ages 14 and 15, are suspended from school and await formal charges due to the beating of a white classmate, age 17. Because the incident involves youths and is school-related, none of the students are being identified. After reviewing the bus surveillance footage, Belleville Police Capt. Don Sax “said Monday that the footage showed an attack that appeared ‘racially motivated,’” reports the News-Democrat. However, school Superintendent Greg Moats was quoted as saying, "I have no reason to go either way on that until I see the reports from the interviews" when asked if he thought race played a role in the fight. The bus driver radioed-in to report the fight but did not stop the altercation or the bus. The News-Democrat reports that when a student told the bus driver that the victim was bleeding, the driver indicated that a nurse would be awaiting them at the Belleville West school. After the 17-year-old victim saw the school nurse, his mother picked him up from the school. Superintendent Moats was quoted by the News-Democrat as saying, "They're going through the entire tape and they are getting his take on it, how he [bus driver] handled it, how he reacted.” The Belleville Police are continuing their investigation.