Raw: Neb. Bus Driver Assaults Passenger

[Quixote1818]

The number of times he hits the black gentleman who seems like a very nice likable guy is stunning.

[progressoid]

1. StarTran bus driver fired, accused of assaulting rider

A StarTran bus driver caught beating a rider on video and then dragging him onto O Street was fired this week.

Troy Fischer, 43, punches the 40-year-old man 18 times in the video while the bus was at 84th and O streets March 23. He then throws the passenger to the floor, before dragging him out of the bus as the man holds onto the door. Fischer leaves the man in the eastbound lane of O Street and takes off, making a left-hand turn into the Southeast Community College campus.

"I put him off the bus," he tells his supervisor over the radio in the video shot by cameras on the bus. "It wasn't pretty."

City Public Works and Utilities Department Director Miki Esposito on Friday said Fischer was fired Thursday after he had an opportunity to rebut allegations against him during a disciplinary hearing. She also released footage from the four bus cameras.

...

http://journalstar.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/startran-bus-driver-fired-accused-of-assaulting-rider/article_ea21eb39-402f-59d8-979b-9fc266aae958.html

[tblue]

13. Fired? Should be in prison.

And this is no 'misdemeanor.' Evil creep. I hope the poor battered guy is okay.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

2. Normally, don't people who suffer from road rage only hit other drivers?

[Quixote1818]

3. Times like this I really appreciate surveillance cameras

That poor guy probably thought nothing would happen to the ass hole bus driver. In this case the camera allowed justice to be served. So often cameras seem to show what otherwise would NEVER be provable in a court of law.

[In_The_Wind]

9. Cameras should be in every bus.

Crime might decrease. Might.

[tblue]

15. There's 30 minutes of video at the link

Driver seemed gregarious and was joking with the guy and another passenger at the beginning. Then, when every other passenger got off the bus, he got short with this poor man for asking about his bus stop. It was like he snapped and soon after just exploded. At about 15:00 the physical assault starts. I can't watch it again.

My dad was a city bus driver. It is a stressful, thankless job. Repetitious and tedious. Passengers and other drivers are often disrespectful. I have great sympathy for bus drivers, but there is no excuse for battering a person like this. And this passenger looked like a very sweet guy too

[Spitfire of ATJ]

4. The driver is lucky that wasn't me.

[BeliQueen]

5. He's lucky I wasn't on that bus. n/t

[Catherine Vincent]

6. It's scary how he just snapped like that

He should get jail time and sent to anger management classes.

[JimDandy]

7. Police charged the driver with misdemeanor assault.

18 punches and utter indifference to the passenger's safety when he threw him into traffic sounds to me like felony assault. And you know, had the roles been reversed (black driver on white passenger), it would have been charged as felony assault.

Why didn't the bus company release the camera footage of the passenger's supposedly troublesome behavior that occured prior to the driver's initial call to his supervisor?

[heaven05]

11. yep

felony for sure, since the driver was not physically attacked. What words from the assaultee would cause this type of attack, I wonder. Makes you go, huuummmmm!

[JimDandy]

21. Without the entire video

of all of this passenger's interactions with the driver, I can only conclude from the driver's words that the passenger had simply been asking him questions. I have seen rules posted in one bus system that require passengers to not stand in front of the white line near the front door while the bus is moving and to not distract the driver. Apparently, route inquires (job related questions) were enough of an irritating distraction to set off this driver.

Am glad his supervisor didn't try to cover up for him and that he was nearly immediately fired after they viewed the video.

ETA: enitre 30 min video is posted downthread.

[DreamGypsy]

8. Not so good to have this on your resume ...

...unless you're applying for jobs with the Mafia.

Good luck in your job search, Mr. Fischer. BTW: nice Hawaiian shirt.

[southernyankeebelle]

10. Let me get this right, all he asked was a question? That's why he beat him? My

goodness this man sure doesn't need to be in a job that works with the public. I don't understand also why in the heck was passenger standing with all those empty seats? This is really strange.

[Quixote1818]

14. He had just got up as you can see in this longer video

Evidently the black fellow was not from Nebraska and was probably just a little worried about where the bus was at not wanting to get off at the wrong place. So nervously he asks the driver (probably because he was yelled at before) "Can I get to 20th street?"

[southernyankeebelle]

19. That would have been me. I always get nervous when I am not sure which way am

going and wanting to get off transportation. How sad the driver showed the worst in a city employee that is for sure. The customer should receive an apology letter and a refund from the company.

[pacalo]

23. Plus, they were the only two people on the bus & it seemed like the

passenger, who seemed like a friendly guy, was just trying to make conversation.

[StrayKat]

16. Yeah, just questions about the route.

Full 30 min. of video from diff camera angles here:

Most of the time the passenger was seated and quiet. The questioning might have been irritating, but it wasn't threatening, hostile, or incendiary.

[Quixote1818]

17. Thanks for posting this! I was looking all over for something with the full 30 min. nt

[southernyankeebelle]

18. Whatever happened to the customer is always right? The man should of had him arrested.

[Quixote1818]

20. When I see that poor man start to walk after being thrown off the bus looking so demoralized

and not even attempting to yell or throw a finger it brings tears to my eyes. He seems like such a sweet guy who was the last person on earth to deserve that kind of treatment.

[southernyankeebelle]

22. I thought the same thing. He sure didn't deserve that treatment at all. Shame on the driver.

[polly7]

12. The self-control that passenger showed amazes me.

I couldn't have done it.

[pacalo]

24. Me, too!

I watched the entire 30 minutes to understand what could have set that driver off & it was nothing more than a friendly passenger who was unfamiliar with the area trying to make conversation with the only one left on the bus.

Unbelievable!