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Matt Sepic

Police investigating attack on Metro Transit bus driver that was recorded, posted online

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Police are investigating an attack on a Metro Transit bus driver this week in Minneapolis after a passenger recorded video of the incident and posted it to Facebook.

The attack happened Tuesday around 3:45 p.m. on the Number 5 bus near Emerson and 15th Avenues North.

In the video, a young man in a blue shirt is seen boarding the bus. He then begins punching the driver, pulls him from his seat, and knees him in the face. The assault lasts about 10 seconds, and then the attacker exits the bus.

As the video ends, the driver checks his face in the mirror, climbs back into his seat and tells the person recording the video to leave. It appears no one tried to stop the attack, and one passenger is seen laughing near the end of the clip.

Metro Transit spokesperson Howie Padilla said police are trying to track down the attacker, and they're asking the public for tips.

"I will tell you that everybody I've talked to whether it be operators here at Metro Transit, our police investigators who are working the case, whether it be supervisors, everybody is just really committed to finding out who is responsible for this act and holding them accountable for this absolutely mindless act," Padilla said.

The driver — who hasn't been named publicly — suffered cuts and bruises, Padilla said.

He also experienced double vision for a time, but was cleared for release from the hospital, said Ryan Timlin, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union's Twin Cities local.

The attack happened after the driver tried to tell a group of teens to stop swearing, Timlin said.

"It kept going on. He ended up pulling the bus over, and he was radioing in to transit control over the issue, and while that was happening, somebody called a relative, and that relative came on the bus and started punching," he said.

Driver safety is a big concern for the union, Timlin said. As part of their latest contract with Metro Transit approved in December, the agency agreed to install protective barriers for drivers on around 20 buses as part of a pilot project.

While that's a good start, Timlin said, barriers aren't the only solution. He said riders need to remember that bus drivers are part of the community too, and they only want to get their passengers from point A to point B safely.