Boston Police are investigating a disturbing assault on a 70-year-old Boston school bus driver Tuesday afternoon.
Young children on board the bus who allegedly witnessed the unprovoked attack identified the suspect as a parent of a student.
The incident took place at about 4:30 Tuesday afternoon at the corner of Woodrow Avenue and Lyford Street.
According to the incident report the school bus driver was repeatedly punched in the face and suffered injuries to his left eye and his lower lip.
The school bus driver told police he did not recognize the parent, but he claimed the man said, “Don’t mess with my kid” before launching his attack.
“A lot of people dealing with a lot of stress,” said Felix Negron who lives nearby. “Every little thing, they blow it out of proportion.”
The Boston Police incident report does not say what might have sparked this violence.
But there is another incident report involving a school bus and a young student and the same bus stop 24 hours earlier.
On Monday, the mother of a student called Boston Police when her daughter complained that her school bus driver pushed her backward on the bus.
The bus driver later told police, the student was standing when the bus was in motion, and he put out his arm to protect her from falling when he hit the brakes.
EMTs found no sign of injuries.
All of this leaves local parents concerned about violence on school buses.
“I really feel bad about the kids watching this happen,” said a woman who identified herself as Lisa. “Children seeing the violence is disturbing.”
In a statement, Boston School Superintendent Mary Skipper said in part: “Boston Public Schools takes the safety of all students and staff who travel on our buses very seriously. It is unconscionable for the safety of a school bus driver to be compromised. Our bus drivers work incredibly hard every day to ensure that students are safely transported to and from school.”
All of the students on board the bus attend Taylor Elementary School.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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