ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) — The Escondido Police Department says it is investigating criminal charges against three 14-year-old girls for causing a disturbance on a North County Transit District bus that led to a fight with the driver.
At around 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29, the San Pasqual High School students were making a commotion on the bus after they were picked up at a stop near the school. The driver shut the bus off and called his supervisor. According to EPD, the driver stood in the doorway as the girls tried to leave the bus before he called the police.
Video from NCTD's bus camera showed one of the girls trying to force her way through, pushing and kicking the driver in the process.
The driver eventually moved, but as the teen girls got off the bus, he pushed one of them, spilling the fight outside.
One of the students started punching the 64-year-old man, knocking him to the ground, according to EPD. At least one other teen girl got physical too.
A teen boy, also a student, and an off-duty security guard who was on the bus moved in and pulled the girls away from the driver, police say. The students promptly ran away.
The driver was not seriously hurt.
NCTD released videos from its bus of the fight, which you can watch below. The first clip shows an inside view of the bus, from a camera above the driver’s seat. The second clip is from the bus’ front camera, showing the outside portion of the fight. The third clip is from before the fight, when the bus driver confronted the students about the commotion.
(NOTE: NCTD blurred the faces of the minors before sharing the videos with ABC 10News. The clips don’t have sound. Aside from blurring the driver’s face, 10News has not edited the videos NCTD provided further.)
NCTD says its buses each have nine cameras. The fight wasn't viewable from the other angles.
NCTD released a statement Thursday and described the situation as an "unfortunate incident."
"We take the safety our passengers and bus personnel very seriously. MV Transportation (MV), NCTD’s contractor for bus operations and the employer of the busdriver, is actively conducting an investigation of the incident under the oversight of NCTD," the statement says. "Separately, NCTD is advancing its own investigation and will take the appropriate actions pending the outcome of that investigation."
Escondido Union High School District Superintendent Jon Petersen sent the following statement to ABC 10News:
"We have been made aware of an incident that occurred yesterday after school hours. We are working with the Escondido Police Department, the North County Transit District, and school staff to investigate the matter," he says. "Disciplinary action wouldn’t be considered until after the investigation is complete. The safety of our students and community members remains our top priority."
