MBTA bus driver allegedly beaten by mob in Dorchester
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Transit Police are searching for a group of roughly 15 teenagers that attacked a 53-year-old MBTA bus driver Saturday as he operated a Route 16 bus.
“We are very fortunate in this case that the operator was able to put the brake on, or the bus could have lurched forward and people could have been injured, including the perpetrators,” said Transit Police Superintendent-in-Chief Joseph O’Connor.
It was unclear what prompted the assault, which happened around 1:15 a.m. on Columbia Road near Geneva Avenue.
The young suspects allegedly punched the driver and attempted to drag him through the bus’s windows, O’Connor said.
Police are looking into what prompted the attack.
There was allegedly a dispute between the driver and a female bus passenger shortly before the attack.
“There was a question over fare. She threw her fare card at the driver. While that was happening a group of 15 males got in front of the bus. It’s unclear exactly who boarded the bus,” O’Connor said, adding that there doesn’t appear to be a nexus between the woman and the attackers.
The driver was treated by EMS at the scene, then taken to Boston Medical Center.
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