Kids Stand Up to Bus Driver Who Assaulted a Special Needs Student

WARNING: The footage in the video below is disturbing.

When a bus driver assaulted a 15-year-old student with special needs in Johnston, Iowa, on Oct. 29, the other children on the bus made sure he was brought to justice.

The driver, 61-year-old Robert Scarbrough, became upset when a student named Christian failed to follow seating assignments, according to KCCI News. Johnston Police said in a statement that the student made an inflammatory remark to Scarbrough, who then grabbed the student’s coat, struck him in the face and pushed him to the floor.

A number of students pulled out their cell phones and recorded the altercation, and in the video on CBS News, they can be heard yelling for the driver to stop. Scarbrough can also be heard screaming back at the students, telling them to “shut up” and “sit down.”

After the incident, the driver continued on to the next stop, and when students on the bus saw a sheriff deputy’s car nearby, they got off to report what happened. When KCCI interviewed the students who witnessed the assault, they stuck up for Christian and shared their thoughts on the matter:

Ady Serdarevic, who was sitting next to Christian, told KCCI, “[Scarbrough] hit him in the head, and he has a disability in his head. He’s supposed to be watching us, not hurting us.”

Gracie Foster was one of the students who took a video of the incident, and she added, “I was shaking, and everyone was crying around me.”

“I just hate bullying in general, and just seeing an adult throw a kid on the ground was terrible,” student Madison Cherry told KCCI.

“I am very shocked, but more than shocked I am livid, because, he’s an adult and he shouldn’t really be doing that anyways,” student Savannah Shelley added to KCCI.

Scarbrough appeared before a judge on Oct. 30 and was charged with assault causing injury and child endangerment. Scarbrough was booked on Oct. 29 at the Polk County Jail and is currently being held pending bail of $3,000.

Christian complained of face pain but suffered no serious injuries, according to police. He was treated in an ambulance, but he was not transported for further medical care.