OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Oklahoma City’s Public Transportation Department released video on Wednesday showing the attack on one of their EMBARK bus drivers.
The assault happened on Saturday near N Western Avenue and West Britton Road. Police arrested 23-year-old Tihron Harrison after officers said he punched the driver several times, pulling him from the driver’s seat while the bus was still moving.
“The suspect asked to be let off at the intersection of Britton and Western. The bus driver told him he couldn’t do that,” said Lt. Jeff Cooper with the Oklahoma City Police Department.
The bus operator reportedly told the passenger he could be let off at the next designated stop, per city policy.
In the video, you can see Harrison start yelling, reach around the protective plexiglass, and punch the driver in the face. The footage then shows the driver trying to fight off Harrison before being pulled to the ground. The bus continued moving. The two struggled for several seconds before Harrison can be seen punching the bus driver again.
Another angle showed a passenger try to break up the attack as the driver is thrown to the floor. Shortly after, the bus can been seen veering off the road and into a business. A seat belt saved the bus driver from being thrown through the windshield.
“Obviously (the driver) had some bumps and bruises. We got him to medical facilities right after and he’s off work now but doing well,” said Jason Ferbrache, OKC Director of Public Transportation and Parking Department.
Ferbrache said the driver did everything he could to follow the city’s policies, while keeping people on board safe.
“When you run into a situation like that, no matter how much training you have, it’s very difficult to prepare for somebody really assaulting you while you’re operating a vehicle in motion,” said Ferbrache.
Harrison ran from the scene but was later caught by police, taken to the hospital to get checked out, then arrested.