August 5, 2007
Bus Driver Beats Young Man With No Manners
A Queens bus driver got into a brawl on his bus with a 22-year-old passenger after the younger man refused to surrender his seat at the front of the bus to an elderly woman with a cane. The New York Post reports that Larry Woods, who is 44, smashed passenger Christian Custis over the head with the bus's onboard phone after the man half his age wouldn't get out of a seat marked reserved for the handicapped when an elderly woman with a cane boarded the bus at 164th St. and Hillside Ave. in Jamaica, Queens yesterday Friday morning.
The phone clobbering ignited the brawl between the two men, who fought in front of a busload of passengers. Both were eventually taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital before heading to the 103rd precinct house. The ill-mannered and short-tempered men, Custis and Woods, respectively, were both arraigned on charges of assault and harrassment. Woods was also charged with possession of a weapon: his bus's phone.
(M31 Bus: wheelchair priority seating, by Triborough at flickr)
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I'm surprised nobody helped the bus driver beat this kid up.
good for the driver! my sentiments exactly.
i concur - the driver could have done nothing, but people can be so rude these days. nobody has any respect!
I agree with all the above - what is wrong with people? I also feel this way about the elderly, pregnant ladies on subways or people holding children - why can't people get up from their seats?
On the Bus I take, a couple of times some jackass would not give up the seat. In both instances the bus driver just wouldn't move the bus until the jackass would vacate the seat.
IMO, That kid deserves a beating. Every time I get one of those seats, I get up as soon as I see an elderly person come along.
this happened Friday morning and not yesterday (Saturday) morning.
Good. The assholes of today need a good ol' fashioned ass-whooping!
Good that the kid got an ass whooping. Just would have been nice for the old lady to bash the kid's head in with the cane.
It should have been a sword cane and she could have run the guy threw. Or even a gun cane and shot the nere do well.
i really want a sword cane
And when the guy sues the city for $20 million I'm sure all of you jackasses will bring up George Bush as the reason our infrastructure is starved of money.
Jen, while I agree with you re: designated seats, if one were compelled to vacate any (unmarked) seat on a subway or bus in deference to the elderly, pregnant, or people holding children, your average young, single, childless person would rarely enjoy a seat. The elderly throng the buses (at least in Manhattan) and babies are everywhere on the subways.
Unfortunately the driver's going to get in trouble for being a decent person.
So why didn't anyone else on the bus give up their seat?
#11 STFU. I mean are you really that stupid? First, no way he'd get $20M. Second, if he did get that much that's a problem with the justice system not some bloggers. Third, $20M vs $20B for unneeded wars, subsidies, etc. is not even a comparison. Whatever you feel abot the administration or this act your numbers and thoughts don't even make sense. Disagree with those who think this ass-hole deserved a beating if you want, but learn to think about it before typing please.
Should have just thrown the little cretin out the door. Preferably while the bus is moving.
[12] I'm not sure I get your point. The fit and firm might eventually wind up surrendering all of a bus's seats to the infirm, handicapped, elderly, and young children. That's possible. I frankly wouldn't feel comfortable lolling in a seat while an elderly or pregnant person struggled to keep upright on a bus. I don't think this has to do with rules, laws, or regulations; I think it's a simple matter of politeness and consideration for other human beings who might be less physically able to handle a transit situation. You're not signing up for a lifelong tithe to care for the elderly; you're just standing for 20 or 40 minutes to make an elderly person feel more comfortable.
Kudos to the driver. When I was in DC last week, everyone on the metro would gladly surrender their seat to the disabled or elderly. Most people in this city would do the same, IMO. Kid deserved a good arse kicking.
SO, did the old lady get herself a seat after the melee? I would have joined in beating some manners into the young jerk.
hah, "SO, did the old lady get herself a seat after the melee?"
the real question is, did this people make it to their destination in a timely fashion, if at all?
Those who wished violence against the inconsiderate man are no better than he was. The driver wasn't any better either. He should have simply not moved the bus until the guy gave up his seat.
Even though I cheer for the bus driver, I wish he had done it legally. Unfortunately, this only makes the young idiot into a martyr for other brainless twits.
Post 11 by guest...you're an idiot...and so is anyone that would try to make such an assinine leap of nonlogic!
Post 12 by guest...please reread the article. It was not an unmarked seat. It specifically states that he was in a seat marked for the handicapped.
buses are already are late every day due to wheelchairs, old people, slow people, and cripples. they should create a separate bus division just for these people, and leave the regular buses alone for normal folks.
Kick ass! Bus drivers FTW!!!
I SAY THE KID HAD IT COMIN!!!
While it was wrong for the young man to not give up his seat to the elderly patron it was more wrong for the bus driver to confront the customer physically.
The driver should be suspended from his job for showing poor judgment and assaulting a customer.
The guy that got hit over the head with the phone should get compensation for that. Sitting in a seat marked for elderly people and refusing to move doesn't justify what the driver did to him.
The city should issue cattle prods and stun guns to the drivers and make it a policy that they are REQUIRED to use them under such circumstances. If anyone sets up a legal defense fund for the driver, post the info. I'll be happy to contribute.
True the kid had no manners, but he didn't HAVE to get up. The woman had a cane, not a wheelchair, so he didn't have to move. The bus driver has anger issues and should be the only one charged, the 22 year old was attacked, and therefore it was all in self defense. Come on people learn the rule, manners aren't the law, so he was justified, though rude.
Whether or not the kid deserved an assault or not, the correct procedure would have been to inform him that the police would be called to fine and or arrest him and then make the call if he refused to move when asked a final time.
3:49 - the "wheelchair priority" seating that's pictured is towards the back of the bus by the rear door (where wheelchairs are loaded) and is different from the disabled or handicapped seating at the front of the bus which must be vacated for the elderly, disabled, and handicapped.
Anybody starting a legal defense fund for the driver? I'd like to write a check to help him out.
I can't over the fact that this rude kid just made over a million dollars for not giving up his seat & being an a-hole-- and probably cost the bus driver his job.
Sigh.
If the picture is true to this bus, the young man did not have to give up his seat, it was for a wheelchair. I agree that he should have let the woman sit, but he was not required too.
The picture was a quickly chosen illustrative photo of a NYC bus seat. It is not the actual seat that the young man and the bus driver fought over, nor is it exactly the same type of seat they fought over.
How did the bus driver know that the 22-year old was not handicapped himself? Simply because he looked young? A young-looking person, even if they do not walk with a cane or other device, may well be legally handicapped, with a heart condition, or a neck or spine injury, or some other condition that is not overtly evident.
Just because he looked young, the bus driver should not have assumed he was simply "being rude". The young man may have had a perfectly good reason for not vacating a handicapped seat -- he may have himself been handicapped, and asserting his own rights.
I am not elderly, but I have a titanium plate in my neck from a spinal injury, a heart condition, as well as being diabetic. I don't look as "handicapped" as an old woman with a cane -- but that old woman, cane notwithstanding, may actually be in BETTER HEALTH THAN ME. I can't walk long distances, can't stand on a bus, and being crammed into a crowded seat makes my arms go numb from the neck injury. I would refuse to give up my seat, too -- and if the driver whacked me on the head with a phone, he would stand a good chance of turning me into a quadriplegic.
But you wouldn't know it from looking at me...I don't wear a big, blue "handicapped" tag around my neck.
The violent actions of the bus driver should be severly punished. He set a very bad example for every one in this city. Head injuries can result in life long disabilities. The main point here though is that no ones life was being threatened by the young man. Therefore the driver acted CRIMMINALLY by assaulting the passenger. More importantly he set the example that we should all resolve our disputes by picking up an object and attacking the other person with it.
The story isn't complete. The driver was actually in the seat with a seatbelt when he asked the young man to give up his seat. The passenger responded, "no." The passenger actually struck the driver and placed several punches while the driver was still in his seat. Clearly self defense; the driver tried to push the passenger to prevent further punches. To no avail, the driver used the phone to not only call the police and bus dispatch but to defend himself. Too bad the newspapers only report comments from one side. If journalists did their jobs, they too would know that there were no charges of possession of a weapon and that the driver was beaten as well.
I don't agree that anyone was in the right here. Beating someone because they won't get up out of a seat on a buss is kinda ignorant.
The dude, if he had an ailment should have said something to the bus driver. Did he? Therefore the bus driver put a beating on the slob and the slob was lucky he wasn't beaten unconscious because if he was I would have put him under the front wheels of the bus and driven over him with the front and rear wheels. Then backed up over him again to see if he was injured. Now that is a concerned bus driver.
Punk a.. kids need to respect their elders more or suffer the consequences.
Boo fucking hoo, so just because she's old she gets special treatment? She should have moved her old ass to the back of the bus like everyone else.
I agree with the comments from Guest (Post 38) the story is NOT complete!!!
I know the driver personally and he is a fine upstanding family man trying to make a living in what I have come to find out is a very tough job which he very well may lose which will cause his family GREAT hardship because he defended himself from a man half his age who was upset at having to give up his seat to an elderly women as per the LAW!!!
This man was choking the driver from behind as well as punching him in the face (slight fracture of the nose and a black eye) while he was sitting in his seat with his seatbelt on as per MTA rules. He tried to call his dispatcher and the police (as per MTA rules) from the phone that is attached to the dashboard while being battered and choked from behind. I would like to see what all of you would do if in that situation yourself.
I for one would do what ever it took to DEFEND MYSELF so I would not become another statistic in this crazy world.
I would really like to hear from the women (or other passengers on the bus) who this whole incident was over then we would know the real story from an eye witness and could make an intelligent decision as to guilt or innocence of either party.
As for guest (posted 41) just wait someday you will be old too :) maybe even have to use a cane!!
LIMike
Obviously one of the limited number of thoughtful and intelligent posters. I am glad some people have taken the time to fill in the blanks on what really happened. I dutifully amend my comment based on the new information.
As for eye witnesses, I'm sure they are being questioned by police (I'm an eternal optimist!) and the driver will be vindicated.
I am somewhat saddened by the fact that none of the other passengers felt the need to do what was right.
See That's why I don't sit in the front of the bus ! I go to the rear and find me a seat so I don't have to deal with that prospect . I do have one point here to make, While I agree that we able-bodied folk should surrender our seat on a Bus/ Train . I don't believe this is an absolute right for those in that particular category in certain situations . What I mean by that is, If Ur in the front of the bus and a Pregnant/ Elderly person gets on you should give them Ur seat unless you have physical issues yourself ! The rear of the Bus is fair game, Generally Pregnant/ Elderly folk don't make it to the rear so this works out for all .
Do you believe everything you read in the news paper. They left out the part that the selfish passenger attacked the driver first. Do you really think a driver is just going to bash a passengers head with a phone b/c he didn't listen to him. I am a bus driver also. No one listens to us. Were use to it. Pay your fair (yeah right) move to the back of the bus it's empty back there (no one moves), use the back door for your exit.. were just a big joke. Why did the passenger get arrested for assault then if the driver just attacked him. You all have brains think about it. He's a professional driver he has so much to lose he wouldn't put it all on the line b/c a young punk said no. There have been drivers who have been sliced or punched b/c they wouldn't give a passenger a transfer. The driver was doing the right thing asking for a seat for the lady, she's more likely to fall then a young healthy person and if she does fall guess what no more bus you now have to wait for the next one which most of the time is aready packed. So your not just helping the old lady, or the driver you are helping yourselves get to were you have to go faster, b/c if I have elder people standing guess what I am moving that bus alot slower, and if they get hurt the bus is out of service. No one is going to stand up for this driver not even the old lady from what I heard all the passengers left b/c they had places to go, so not only is the young punk who wouldn't give up his seat selfish but the rest of the passengers on the bus were too, they didn't help the driver when he was being attacked and they didn't stick around to tell their story. The driver defended himself and luckily got the better of the punk who know has stiches, but like someone already mentioned he will get payed b/c he will sue and the driver will get fired if he is convicted. We have these funny stickers on the bus attacking a city employee is minmum 7yrsIt's like attacking a policeman> what BS.
On board video caameras, that's the solution to this kind of problem.
cameras, sorry for the misspelling
True the kid had no manners, but he didn't HAVE to get up. The woman had a cane, not a wheelchair, so he didn't have to move. The bus driver has anger issues and should be the only one charged, the 22 year old was attacked, and therefore it was all in self defense. Come on people learn the rule, manners aren't the law, so he was justified, though rude.
amen i so agree. Why dont the elderly with a cane go on another transit or sit somewhere else the kid didnt have to move
How did the bus driver know that the 22-year old was not handicapped himself? Simply because he looked young? A young-looking person, even if they do not walk with a cane or other device, may well be legally handicapped, with a heart condition, or a neck or spine injury, or some other condition that is not overtly evident.
Just because he looked young, the bus driver should not have assumed he was simply "being rude". The young man may have had a perfectly good reason for not vacating a handicapped seat -- he may have himself been handicapped, and asserting his own rights.
YA THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME