RIO RICO, Ariz. — News 4 in Tucson has obtained disturbing video showing the moment a Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District bus driver was assaulted by a man at a bus stop Monday.
In the video, a young child can be heard arguing with the bus driver saying in a threatening manner, "Push my brother again."
Moments later, a man can be heard cursing at the driver and ordering the driver to step off the bus. The man walks onto the bus and punches the driver in the face. The driver can be heard moaning in pain.
The man walks off the bus continuing to curse at the driver.
The incident happened on bus #43 during an afternoon drop-off along the busy road Camino Caralampi near the Rio Rico Plaza.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office responded and is still investigating what happened.
“We are talking to the other students; we are talking to staff. We’re doing a lot of research to ensure our investigation is complete," said Chief Deputy Heraldo Castillo.
Castillo said they are still trying to locate the man who punched the driver. They have a good idea who it is but have been unable to locate him.
“We have attempted to contact the person of interest and have been unsuccessful at this point," Castillo said.
He said the driver refused medical assistance, and they do not know his condition.
Linda Ramos said her two sons ride bus #43, and she claims the bus driver has been aggressive and abusive to her 9-year-old son.
“Since the very first day this bus driver has made my son cry. They haven’t been back to school and are stressing about missing school and failing their grades," Ramos said.
Her son said the driver choked him on Monday, the day of the assault, by pulling on a lanyard he was wearing.
“I got up one time to see where’s my stop so I could go home, right, and then when I was walking off, he started choking me, and my brother helped me get off the bus," he said.
Ramos claims she has reported the bus driver to the school district and the Sheriff's Office before but said they didn't take her seriously.
“And nothing was done; the police didn’t even take a statement or report or anything, not once did they give me a case number so I could go and get a report," Ramos said
Castillo said Ramos made a report on March 21st for similar allegations, but he said she refused to allow detectives to interview her son. He said she threatened legal action and that she retained a lawyer.
Castillo said Ramos reported the choking incident on Monday about half an hour before the bus driver's attack.
“We had just received the information," Castillo said.
Castillo said they are actively investigating the allegations against the driver and the attack against him. Even if any of the allegations are true, he said what happened on that bus was an unacceptable response.
"You don’t take these types of allegations into your own hands whether it did happen or not, let law enforcement intervene," he explained.
Ramos said she didn't know anything about the assault on the driver and who did it because she was not there.
The school district sent an alert out to parents soon after the assault:
"Hello, families,
On April 3, 2023, there was an altercation on a school bus on the afternoon route. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident. The District contacted the parents of students who rode that bus regularly. The investigation remains ongoing. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
The safety and well-being of our staff and students are always our top priority and we will continue to work with local law enforcement to ensure their safety."
The school district also sent the following response:
"There was an incident that occurred on an SCV35 school bus that was reported to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department and is currently being investigated.
SCV35 does not have any records that are responsive to your request at this time and is unable to comment on personnel matters or incidents under active investigation.
However, anytime a complaint against an employee is made alleging misconduct, the District investigates the matter and takes appropriate remedial action if needed."
The assault and the swirling allegations against the driver have residents in Rio Rico split on what to think about the situation.
“As a parent, I think I would have done the same thing," said Laticia Tichiquin.
“A little concerned because there are two different sides to the story. We need to know what really happened," said Zola Perez.
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