Search continues for mob of teens who attacked MBTA bus driver
Transit police say the attack on a Route 16 bus driver began with a fare dispute with a female passenger.
"(A) female threw her pass at the operator,” MBTA Transit Police superintendent Joseph O’Connor said.
Then 15-20 teenagers assaulted the driver, police said. It happened at 1:15 a.m. Saturday at Columbia Road and Geneva Avenue.The article later states that, on average, three bus drivers are assaulted every week. What's not stated, and would be nice to know, if it's because of stories similar to this one, where a group of people attack at once, or if it's typically a single aggressor. I'd imagine that group attacks are less common, but not uncommon. There's a "pack mentality" or "mobthink" at play that comes into play here, with the individual shielded from repercussion as a result of being part of a larger group.
Now, here's a couple of follow-up thought questions. First off, what's the percentage of offenders who are caught? I would imagine that the buses are monitored by surveillance camera; it seems like it should be straightforward to catch at least some of the people assaulting bus drivers. More importantly, what's the average sentence handed down for assaulting a bus driver? I'd wager that the time served is measured in days - if not hours.
You see, we clutch our chests and bleat about the "easy availability of guns" that can "hunt people" according to Senator Feinstein, when the real issue is that we have a large portion of the population that simply will not abide by the law. The reason they won't abide by the law is that we don't enforce the laws we already have - as witnessed by the recent attempt to make straw purchases of firearms illegal - even though they've been illegal for 45 years.
Unless and until we start enforcing existing laws and start putting criminals in jail, these sorts of attacks will happen no matter what tools are - or aren't - available.
That is all.
5 comments:
1:15 AM on Saturday
That's your problem right there.
Gerry
+1 on Gerry... ENFORCE the laws... Put their asses in jail!
"There are none so blind as those who will not see."
Apparently only abouth 1/3 of T Buses have on board video.
...... So I'm guessing that if ever there is an incident in Malden - Arlington - Belmont - Hyde Park or Beacon Hill there will be video of it.
NotDilbert
I have to put in an off topic comment. I've seen T bus drivers who got hurt feelings and went out on comp. This guy was beat up by a bunch of assholes and then went back to work after being treated.
I'd nominate him for T employee of the year, except I'm sure his co workers have verbally beat him up for ruining their scam.
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