The bus driver had stopped on Linden Street, north Baton Rouge, on Thursday afternoon to let students off including an unruly 15-year-old pupil who had previously been spoken to by the driver. As he got off, he walked behind the 26-year-old female and punched her several times in the head, knocking her unconscious at the wheel.
Her feet slipped from the brake pedal as she lost control. Without the parking brake on the bus applied, the vehicle began to move forward. Another 14-year-old male is reported to have ran forward and applied the parking brake, holding the vehicle in place, before calling 911.
The offender was turned into police by his mother. He is now facing charges of battery of a bus driver, second-degree battery and aggravated obstruction of a roadway. His school has also suspended him and an expulsion hearing is currently pending.
His fellow students reported that he had been spitting and throwing things out of the windows before being confronted by the bus driver. All of the students were from Christa McAuliffe Superintendent’s Academy, a middle school for students who are two or three years behind in their studies.
Police officers took statements from students on the bus when they arrived. The operator arranged another bus to take them the rest of the way home afterwards.
The bus driver has now been released from hospital and is recovering at home with moderate injuries. The 14-year-old who brought the vehicle to a stop and called the emergency services, Tay’veon Slaughter, has been praised for his actions throughout the incident.
