Busdriver Attacked By Guest

[Danibelle]

I really want Ashton Kutcher to pop out and be like "HA YOU'VE BEEN PUNKED"
I can't believe that a man would strangle the bus driver over getting on the bus. Really? And JUST because you have a baby, it does not mean you get first priorities. (He mentioned something about having a baby, around 1:40. "we have a baby" so what? there are hundreds of other people in walt disney world who also have babies!) There are tons of other babies waiting in line to go to EPCOT just like you, sir.

The man did say "we have a baby we have priority". What is going on with these bus passengers? Most of us just want a peaceful ride home at night. I guess that is why DH and still have not experienced the buses!

 

[drdes]

Bless your heart- however: you need to listen when the youtube girl says what the man did previous to starting her video. Also, Security camera footage enough evidence to warrant possible charges for child neglect and endangerment-now if he didnt and the baby was just chillin, how do you supposed they could come up with those possible charges? Just sayin.

The man could have been holding the child then kind of put the child forward at his arms length at the driver to shield himself. using the child as a shield.

and bless your little cotton socks (one compliment deserves another) - in a court you would just have given me a strong case of mitigating circumstances with the above:

1. shielding is not baby throwing (not that shielding is ok)
2. What was the driver doing that the man had to use his baby as a shield for?

I am going the man's way now (just joking - still dont have enough info since you were just hypothesizing!)

 

[bumbershoot]

Because the security personnel is typically trained to step in only when needed. I assure you that person was within several feet of the bus driver with an eye on the situation (and perhaps a finger on whatever might have been in his pocket...pepper spray, most likely).

I"m with you on just about all of your assessment...but not on the pepper spray possibility on the bus!

I doubt he would have used pepper spray in such close quarters. This would hit everyone on the bus, not just the subject.

Oh definitely. I was in a house when someone in a totally other room picked up a can of it and said "what is this?" as she spritzed it...we had to evacuate the house for the day. (which wasn't good as we were helping people pack at teh end of a semester)

And I was a new amazon employee being trained in Seattle the day of the WTO protests (with those ridiculous fake protesters coming in all covered up, just to rabble-rouse and give the real protesters a bad name...watched it all from the offices, saw the differences), and got to deal with pepper spray and tear gas in an open-aired city (OK that just sounds silly saying it), and it HURTS...

I'm skeptical about the baby-throwing for several reasons:

1. the comment made by the camera operator was too relaxed and offhand. Kind of like sheepishly saying "A bomb just went off." If someone actually threw a baby, I think the reaction of the operator would have been much more prolonged than what it was.

2. The baby wasn't crying and seemed to be in no distress.

3. The reactions of others around the situation is inconsistent with a grown man having thrown a baby (no outrage, no finger pointing, etc.)

4. I find it hard to believe he was holding the baby when in the opening moments of the video, a stroller falls down the stairs (thus implying he was carrying it).

I really do agree.

Although the guy in green is out of control at the beginning, the guy in white seems to be calming him down, and he's OK enough for the mom to hand over the baby. I can't help but think that something happened with the stroller, and the man might have forcefully thrust the baby at the mom (she's holding the baby very awkwardly, facing out like that)...and that could be interpreted, several feet back, as "yeah, like, he threw that baby?".

It also *seems* that the mom is not *on* the bus until a little bit into the video (I hear him telling someone ot get on the bus), so if he forcefully thrust the baby down at her, while losing control of the stroller, it could appear very differently to onlookers.

I haven't read the whole thread. But while the guy should obviously be in some hot water, the fact that this is considered a "terrorist threat" is just insane.

Somethin' ya gotta think about when on a public conveyance. My mom had a neighbor, lily white and not religious at all...he got drunk and made a scene on a plane. Got to spend time in federal prison for that one! I don't know if he was charged with terrorism (strangely enough, his wife didn't invite us to the trial, though she did divorce him about a year later, it was the end of a very long rope she had given him), but it was pre 9/11...nowadays he absolutely would have been charged with that. If you're going to cause a problem on a bus/train/plane etc, you WILL be charged with big things.

There is a video in case you haven't watched it.

A video that doesn't show the baby stuff, and is highly suggestive to our brains to THINK we saw things, because of the commentary. First time through I watched it with the sound off...it's a lot different when you're not listening to what the girls/women (who knows how old they are...my voice sounds just like theirs, sadly, despite being 41 and having been out of CA since I was 17) are saying.

Everyone is saying oh, poor wife. Really? The woman ran off and hid in the crowd, leaving her kid, when security arrived.

1. We're going by what someone else said somewhere else for what she did. That is NOT in the video.

2. She had no apparent part in anything. Why should she be blamed for anything?




Everyone's talking about how their men would have done something.

The moments that something could be done were fleeting! You see the man outside the bus shift his weight, like he's going to do something, and then the bus driver has it sorted out. No need.

And then...the man in white steps in and diffuses the temper of the man in green! His own party seems to be trying to help and explain. What other help is needed?

The bus driver is *highly* capable, and stops the altercation almost immediately (wow!). One could ask for nothing else, really.

Even if on the Shades of Green bus, no one could have done better. They would have only gotten themselves into trouble.

 

[wendy1974]

and bless your little cotton socks (one compliment deserves another) - in a court you would just have given me a strong case of mitigating circumstances with the above:

1. shielding is not baby throwing (not that shielding is ok)
2. What was the driver doing that the man had to use his baby as a shield for?

I am going the man's way now (just joking - still dont have enough info since you were just hypothesizing!)

I'm glad the baby appears to be alright but I don't care if he threw the baby or not. Yes, that was clearly not on the video but what was on the video is enough to "hypothesize" that you have a man on a bus who was clearly out of control and causing a situation. You can hear him say that he has a baby so he should have priority and the language alone suggests he was reacting to what he felt was some type of entitlement.

 

[seashoreCM]

Hopefully the strangler had to post bail high enough to ensure his return to Florida to face trial, or sit in jail awaiting trial.

Now how does Disney get witnesses (the other guests on the bus) to testify? Fly them down when the time comes and put them up in a resort? How many schools consider it an excused absence when the kids have no one to take care of them when their parents are summoned to court some distance away?

 

[drdes]

I'm glad the baby appears to be alright but I don't care if he threw the baby or not. Yes, that was clearly not on the video but what was on the video is enough to "hypothesize" that you have a man on a bus who was clearly out of control and causing a situation. You can hear him say that he has a baby so he should have priority and the language alone suggests he was reacting to what he felt was some type of entitlement.

now you are getting closer to what you can surmise from the video. - you see, no mention of baby throwing - i would only add that the man and the driver both appear to me to be equally in control/out of control, hence we would need to know what happened before the video starts.

 

[marivaid]

I personally don't believe he "threw" the baby either. The kid's in his mother's arms, not crying, he has a look more like "Dude, where's my churro?".

 

[disneymomma1978]

Everyone's talking about how their men would have done something.

The moments that something could be done were fleeting! You see the man outside the bus shift his weight, like he's going to do something, and then the bus driver has it sorted out. No need.

And then...the man in white steps in and diffuses the temper of the man in green! His own party seems to be trying to help and explain. What other help is needed?

The bus driver is *highly* capable, and stops the altercation almost immediately (wow!). One could ask for nothing else, really.

Even if on the Shades of Green bus, no one could have done better. They would have only gotten themselves into trouble.

I sure hope if my DH ever gets into an argument with another man and that man puts his hands around DH's throat, that SOMEONE will try to help. Hopefully they don't all stand around watching saying,
He's *highly* capable of diffusing the situation himself. I'll stand back
and watch so I don't get myself in trouble.
(I am not arguing the fact that the bus driver handled the situation as well as he possibly could have.)

 

[rance]

I'm an airline pilot and he's lucky he didn't try that on an airliner. Best case scenerio for him is he would be charged federally...worse case..we can carry guns (fill in the blank).

Do you have any knowledge if the Disney buses are covered under federal statutes?

Bus drivers have been lobbying for stiffer penalties for people that assult them, but to my knowledge the laws have not changed...so no it's not a federal offence.

here was part of an article I found online:

London transit workers are asking city politicians to back their effort to make assaulting a bus driver a specific crime in the criminal code.

The Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents bus drivers and other transit workers across Canada and the U.S., wants the Canadian criminal code to recognize "transit workers" as it does police officers.

 

[CathrynRose]

I watched it again....

The wife never gets off the bus, or disappears into the crowd. She thanks a woman, who appears - by her body language - to say: here, I'll get off, you guys can get on.

I can't believe the way they kinda got up in the bus, as if they were going to just head on over to EPCOT, after that. It's weird.

 

[kristen584]

Throwing your infant, strangling the bus driver.. what is wrong with people?

 

[marivaid]

I can't believe the way they kinda got up in the bus, as if they were going to just head on over to EPCOT, after that. It's weird.

I don't think they were going to Epcot. On the Youtube page the poster said she & her friend were the ones waiting for an Epcot bus.

 

[sandym718]

Hopefully the strangler had to post bail high enough to ensure his return to Florida to face trial, or sit in jail awaiting trial.

Now how does Disney get witnesses (the other guests on the bus) to testify? Fly them down when the time comes and put them up in a resort? How many schools consider it an excused absence when the kids have no one to take care of them when their parents are summoned to court some distance away?

Just guessing here - as I have no direct knowledge - but hopefully they could be deposed in their own hometown?? The prosecuters and defense attorneys would fly there? Or possibly testify via teleconference?

 

[disney david]

Bus drivers have been lobbying for stiffer penalties for people that assult them, but to my knowledge the laws have not changed...so no it's not a federal offence.

here was part of an article I found online:

London transit workers are asking city politicians to back their effort to make assaulting a bus driver a specific crime in the criminal code.

The Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents bus drivers and other transit workers across Canada and the U.S., wants the Canadian criminal code to recognize "transit workers" as it does police officers.

In new york it is a felony to assault a bus driver or train conducter you can serve the same time as if you assaulted a police officer.

 

[KellyNY]

That is absolutely horrible. What htisman was thinking.
Does anyone know if anything appeared in news, any official story?

 

[SnowWitch]

I don't think they were going to Epcot. On the Youtube page the poster said she & her friend were the ones waiting for an Epcot bus.

In the video you can see Epcot on the board, its to the left of the bus door. (I have no clue what that light up board is called?)

 

[cm8]

I just read/saw this. How crazy! I hope the bus driver isn't reprimanded for this, seems like he didn't do anything but defend himself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmovTsW6gHY

And while I read the guy was banned from Disney and charged with assault, I have to think he also should have someone look into the fact that he threw his baby.

ETA- Update from another poster in post 14, the bus driver was not reprimanded and the guy is in some serious trouble.

For those asking who can't see it now, the guy with his family was waiting for a bus. Apparently the driver told him it was full and to wait for the next bus. The guy was upset saying they have a child and then threw the baby, under a year old by the looks her her, at the driver and then strangled him.

Wow, and he was a perfect stranger...Imagine what he must be like if he doesn't get his at home, or any where else?

 

[KellyNY]

I just found this link on another thread like this.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthrea...=643898&page=2

Here what it sais:

Quote:
I work for bus operations and the entire incident was caught on the security cameras.Every load zone has a high def camera that sees the bus and load zone. We can actually zoom in with the cameras and read the drivers name and his hometown on his name tag on their uniform. Also in the video one of the gentleman on the bus,{I wont identify him} was one of our plain clothes security officers and was in the load zone at the time and witnessed the attack. Security was called along with the OCSO,and yes it took them a few minutes to get to him. This was because the bus was in load zone C7 which is in the charter bus lot and away from the regular Resort load zones near the entrance to Hollywood Studios. If you watch the video closely you will see flashing red and blue lights illuminating the side off the bus.When the wife saw them pull up the wife took off,and tried to hide in the crowd,and left her child with the husband. Other guests identified her to security. They were then removed from the bus and load zone and taken backstage. The gentleman was then arrested and handcuffed for assault on the driver. He is also facing charges for Terrorist threat due to the assault happening on the bus, and public endangerment. They were also ejected from the resort they were staying at,and trespassed from Walt Disney World property.They will not be returning to the Happiest Place on Earth ever again. Also everyone will be happy to hear the driver was not reprimanded for the incident,and continued with his job that evening. I actually saw and talked to him last night and he is doing fine.
Also forgot to add copy of the security tape was provided to the OCSO,they are in turn forwarding it to the state attorney for possible further charges of Felony child neglect and endangerment. __________________

 

[PictureJumpr]

Bus drivers have been lobbying for stiffer penalties for people that assult them, but to my knowledge the laws have not changed...so no it's not a federal offence.

here was part of an article I found online:

London transit workers are asking city politicians to back their effort to make assaulting a bus driver a specific crime in the criminal code.

The Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents bus drivers and other transit workers across Canada and the U.S., wants the Canadian criminal code to recognize "transit workers" as it does police officers.

Yes, as a prior poster mentioned, Drivers of Mass Transportation vehicles are - in many cases, perhaps not every case but most - protected by the USCA (Federal law):
§ 1992. Terrorist attacks and other violence against railroad carriers and against mass transportation systems on land, on water, or through the air... (6) with intent to endanger the safety of any person, or with a reckless disregard for the safety of human life, interferes with, disables, or incapacitates any dispatcher, driver, captain, locomotive engineer, railroad conductor, or other person while the person is employed in dispatching, operating, controlling, or maintaining railroad on-track equipment or a mass transportation vehicle;... (7) the term “mass transportation” has the meaning given to that term in section 5302(a)(7) of title 49, except that the term includes intercity bus transportation1 school bus, charter, and sightseeing transportation and passenger vessel as that term is defined in section 2101(22) of title 46, United States Code;...

Etc.

Anyone found guilty of such a thing "shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or life, or both, and if the offense resulted in the death of any person, the person may be sentenced to death."

The question is, does it cover Disney transport (non-intercity)? Only the courts can say.
Now, I'm not saying anything about the depth of this man's newly-earned legal issues, or his motivations, or even his actions (I did watch the film, btw, and yes personally I find the guest's behavior atrocious and incredibly over-the-top, but I wasn't there), but there are parts of the Federal code which do apply to his actions.

 

[cm8]

Something has happened to our society that this is becoming more and more frequent. I don't know if it's the advent of anonymity over the Internet that has caused our society to become less polite, or what. It's really kind of scary.