School bus driver accused of fighting 12-year-old Michigan student in ‘vicious attack’
.jpg "A school bus driver fought a 12-year-old student onboard a Detroit bus, according to media reports.")
A school bus driver has been suspended after a viral video shows her fighting a 12-year-old girl, a Michigan school district told local media.
The altercation reportedly happened aboard the bus on Tuesday, Oct. 25, near Carver STEM Academy in Detroit.
The girl was waving at her brother, who was outside the bus, when the driver told her to “sit her a** down,” family members told WJBK. When the student called out the driver’s swearing, the driver began striking the girl, the TV station reported.
An attorney representing the family said the girl was beaten, bitten and choked by the driver, according to media reports.
“It was such a vicious attack,” the attorney, Lillian Diallo, told WJBK. “How does a grown woman bite a child? Not just the beating part, you bit her in the face.”
McClatchy News has reached out to the school district and is awaiting a response.
At least one person on the bus was filming the fight. Video shows what appears to be the adult driver and student fighting in the aisle before landing on one of the seats. Other students attempted to separate the two.
Diallo said students that were on the bus were “traumatized” by the incident, which occurred as others were attempting to board, WDIV reported.
Cameras on the bus were not functioning at the time of the fight, according to WDIV.
The bus driver was removed from Detroit Public Schools Community District and faces termination through Trinity Transportation, a school district spokesperson told WWJ. Police are also investigating.
This story was originally published October 27, 2022 at 10:48 AM with the headline "School bus driver accused of fighting 12-year-old Michigan student in ‘vicious attack’."