Video: Mob of thugs descend upon apparent Chicago bus driver, tackle him to street, repeatedly punch and stomp him



Video circulating on social media shows what appears to be a Chicago Transit Authority bus driver getting swarmed by a mob of thugs, tackled to the street, and repeatedly punched and stomped over the weekend in the popular downtown shopping area known as the Loop.

What are the details?

The clip shows the apparent driver standing outside a bus and facing one individual as a crowd gathers around them. One person is heard telling the driver he'd "better get back on that bus!"

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Paulvallas

Suddenly the apparent driver seems to push with his left hand the individual facing him, and that individual appears to move away. Second later screams are heard and a fight breaks out.

The apparent driver has the upper hand at first, grabbing and pushing one male backward for a considerable distance.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Paulvallas

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Paulvallas

But at that point a mob descends upon the apparent driver, and he has no chance as thugs tackle and then beat him.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Paulvallas

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Paulvallas

At the end of the clip, a police officer appears and seems to be moving toward the attack.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Paulvallas

Here's the clip:

This is video of the poor CTA bus driver that was beaten last night downtown. This is SO disgusting that this is happening in Chi. @TheMagMile @ChiefDavidBrown @MaryAnnAhernNBC @AnitaPadilla32 @FoxNews @CWBChicago @WGNNews @ABC7Chicago @cbschicago @ChiCityBusiness @AmyJacobsonpic.twitter.com/EANvAwkwxF
— Paul Vallas (@Paul Vallas) 1638727702

What else do we know?

Chicago police said a 49-year-old CTA bus driver was traveling in the Loop around 9 p.m. Saturday when he heard a loud noise, WFLD-TV reported, after which the driver stopped the bus to inspect it.

While the driver was doing this, police told the station a male and female began to push the driver and then punched the driver multiple times before fleeing.

Police told WFLD the driver's face and body were bruised, and he was taken to a hospital in fair condition. The station's report does not include the video circulating on social media.

A 15-year-old male identified as a suspect in the attack was arrested in the 100 block of North Michigan Avenue and charged with one count of aggravated battery to a transit employee and disorderly conduct, police added to the station.

Fox News said police did not confirm that the video circulating on social media shows the attack on the 49-year-old bus driver. Police instead directed the cable news network to the "initial narrative" that two suspects were involved and added that the department "[does] not have any additional information," Fox News noted.

While the report on the attack from WBBM-TV doesn't include the video circulating on social media, either, it does show what appears to be a bus driver holding a cloth or towel on the side of his face and walking into an ambulance — and the victim looks similar to the apparent driver the mob attacked in the cellphone video.

Anything else?

Police told WGN-TV at least 20 juveniles were taken into custody Saturday night amid violent chaos in the Loop that forced authorities to use crowd control measures. In addition to the attack on the bus driver, a 15-year-old was shot in the arm after bumping into a man, the station said.

The next day Mayor Lori Lightfoot was asked how she plans to curb violence in the Loop moving forward, WGN said.

“We are going to take significant, swift action to quell any issues,” Lightfoot replied, according to the station. “[Saturday night] there were a large number of children that were down at Millennium Park. We followed the protocols that we put in place from the summer of 2020. When it was time for them to leave the park, we made sure they left the park without incident.”

Here's more of what Lightfoot said:

I asked @chicagosmayor about this. Thanks to @CWBChicago for the information. \n@MorningAnswer @DanProft https://twitter.com/paulvallas/status/1467556467716808709\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/oxcIXOkJAA
— Amy Jacobson (@Amy Jacobson) 1638741271

4 police officers shot in Chicago and St. Louis, one 'fighting for his life'



Four police officers were shot on Saturday night and early Sunday morning in two separate violent incidents in Chicago and St. Louis. One police officer is in critical condition following a shooting.

At around 6 p.m. on Saturday, St. Louis police officers responded to a gunman who barricaded himself in a home in the Tower Grove South neighborhood. The suspect allegedly started firing at two police officers.

One cop was shot in his leg, and suffered a non-life-threatening wound. The other police officer was shot in the head and "very critically" wounded, St. Louis Police Department Chief John Hayden Jr. told reporters.

"As our brave officers were trying to get him secured, other officers responded to the scene, and another one of our officers was shot in the leg," Hayden said. "Both are at area hospitals. Doctors are working feverishly to assist them."

"While they're on the scene, they hear shots, and our first officer, who is very critically injured, and when I say very critically injured, he's very critically injured, he was shot. He has a head wound. And that officer is down," Hayden said.

The St. Louis Police said the officer is "fighting for his life."

Hayden said both of the injured officers are about 29-years-old, and the critically wounded cop has been on the force for approximately three years.

The suspect was taken into custody after nearly 12 hours, and witnesses say up to 100 police and SWAT officers were involved.

Hayden said there have been eight police officers shot in the line of duty since June 1.

"Our officers have been going through a lot this summer, as you know. We've had a surge in violence," Hayden said. "These officers, all they're trying to do is do their job and help a person that's wounded, and they come under gunfire themselves."

The barricaded subject from the 3700 block of Hartford has been taken into custody and the area has been rendered s… https://t.co/ccTEjQMA6V
— St. Louis, MO Police (@St. Louis, MO Police)1598783876.0

Early Sunday morning, two Chicago police officers were shot during a traffic stop. At 2:33 a.m., police officers were conducting a traffic stop of a "vehicle matching the description from a person with a gun call," according to officials.

Police allegedly spotted a handgun next to a person in the backseat of the car. The cops instructed the person to get out of the vehicle, but he refused to comply.

The officers shattered the vehicle's window to remove the man from the car. The suspect allegedly fired multiple shots at the police and struck both cops. A third officer shot back and hit the suspect.

One officer suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, side and back, according to Chicago Police Department Supt. David Brown. He was transported to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital in serious condition. The officer underwent surgery for his injuries.

The other cop was shot in the shoulder and chest and transported to the same hospital. He is reportedly in good condition.

The supervisor of the downed cops drove them to the hospital in a police vehicle.

"The quick response and thinking of their supervisors, their sergeant, likely saved precious time for their treatment," Brown said. "That really is important when you have bleeding, gunshot wounds. That time is critical to get the treatment started."

Brown said the wounded cops, who are in their early 20s and have been on the force for about two years, are members of a "summer mobile citywide team recently formed to address violent crime."

The suspect is in critical condition, but has been stabilized.

"When officers leave home, they never really know what the day holds, whether or not they'll be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice," Brown said.

CPD spokesman Tom Ahern posted a photo of the gun that was used to shoot the police.

Supt. Brown @ChiefDavidBrown and Mayor Lightfoot @chicagosmayor address concerned Officers outside Stroger ER and p… https://t.co/f4r4thIW3n
— Tom Ahern (@Tom Ahern)1598786321.0