Bus driver badly beaten by passenger after missing stop

Bus driver badly beaten by passenger after missing stop

SINGAPORE - Unhappy that the driver of the bus he was on had missed his intended stop, a 24-year-old man lashed out at the captain, beating and kicking him for almost 10 minutes.

The incident happened at a bus stop in front of Bukit Merah Secondary School along Lengkok Bahru on Wednesday (Jan 20) afternoon.

Another passenger who was on the 147 bus service at the time told Shin Min Daily News that the man had pressed the bell in advance and was prepared to alight at the bus stop in front of Blk 1, Jalan Bukit Merah.

But the bus driver forgot to stop at that bus stop and drove straight on towards the next bus stop.

"When the bus came to a stop, the man made his way to the bus driver's seat to confront him, and then suddenly slapped the driver across his face," the commuter recalled.

She told Shin Min Daily News that the bus driver then left his seat and asked the man to alight to discuss the matter further.

After alighting from the bus, however, the man made to leave the scene but was pulled back by the bus driver. The man then struck out his fist and punched the driver, before hitting him repeatedly.

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According to the eyewitness, the brawl lasted for about 10 minutes and left the bus driver bleeding profusely from the head. The driver did not hit out at the man, but instead only held on to him until the police arrived.

She added that even though the driver was hurt, he continued to try and subdue the man so that he would not escape.

A 40-year-old man was filming the brawl. When the passenger saw what he was doing, he dashed at him and threw punches at him as well, knocking him to the ground, citizen journalism website Stomp reported.

Another member of the public then stepped forward and pinned the assailant to the ground.

The police arrived shortly after, and immediately arrested the man.

Shin Min Daily News reported that the bus driver's nose was injured, his forehead was swollen and his lips were cracked.

He was subsequently conveyed to Singapore General Hospital to seek treatment for his injuries.

seanyap@sph.com.sg

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