A teenager was arrested and two others were charged and released for their part in an alleged assault on a North County Transit District bus driver last week in front of San Pasqual High School, the Escondido Police Department said Tuesday.
The charges stem from a fight that was captured on video by witnesses, many of whom are SPHS students, and cameras on board the public bus. The teens involved have not been named, but police said they were 14 years old at the time of the incident.
The fight happened after school Aug. 29 and footage of the incident spread far and wide on social media in the following days. Police say the driver pulled the bus over in front of the school because the three students were causing a disturbance.
Video from cameras inside the bus shows the driver leave his seat to confront the students. The driver can later be seen standing in front of the door, blocking the students from exiting the bus. After he moves aside, a teen with a black backpack appears to put her shoulder into the driver's chest as she walks toward the door. The driver responds by shoving the student from behind, and another teen with a red backpack then pushes the driver out of the door and the altercation spills out onto the sidewalk.
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Witness video from outside the bus shows the fight continues as the driver and the teen with the red backpack grapple and fall to the grass. The teen with the black backpack can be seen kicking the driver while the teen with the red backpack stands over him and throws punches.
The girl who appears to be kicking the driver can be heard on the video yelling to a bystander trying to break up the fight, "He f------ shoved me."
The teen who appeared to kick the bus driver was arrested and charged with assault likely to produce great bodily injury. The teen who fought with the driver on the ground and a third teenager involved were charged with conspiracy and released to their parents, according to EPD Lt. Suzanne Baeder. The bus driver, identified only as a 64-year-old man, has not been charged, Lt. Baeder said.
NBC 7 spoke to several witnesses who shared their reaction to the incident.
A witness named Gabriel said he was only steps away when it spilled onto the sidewalk.
“I saw how she got him by the shoulders and tried to slam him on the ground," Gabriel said.
Another student and an off-duty security guard who were on the bus helped pull the students away from the driver.
The students then fled the area and the driver stated he was uninjured, EPD said.
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The North County Transit District said last week it had launched a third-party investigation.
"The [North County Transit District] is concerned about the unfortunate incident that occurred at a bus stop near San Pasqual High School. MV Transportation (MV), NCTD’s contractor for bus operations and the employer of the bus driver, is actively conducting an investigation," NCTD spokesperson Colleen Windsor said in a statement.
At the time of the fight, witnesses said there were less than 50 students in the area in front of the school. The physical altercation lasted less than a minute.
Many San Pasqual students take NCTD buses to and from school. Students tell NBC 7 that scuffles like this one are rare.
"It was pretty hectic. I didn’t expect that to happen on a bus," junior student Natalia added.
