School bus driver said he ‘lost it’ before tackling 12-year-old, Minnesota police say
A Minnesota school bus driver has been charged with assault after police accused him of tackling a 12-year-old student to the ground.
On the morning of Nov. 9, bus driver Paul Duane Martin, 72, of Ham Lake, Minn., was in the parking lot of Fridley High School when he was captured on the school’s camera system running off a school bus, police said in a complaint.
Martin then, according to the complaint, was seen on video pushing a student in the grass before tackling the 12-year-old from behind.
Police said both Martin and the preteen fell to the ground, with Martin “on top of [the student] for a short period of time” before he got up.
Martin then grabbed “an item” from the ground, handed it to the student and walked back to the bus, according to the complaint. It is unclear what the item was.
Police said the principal later contacted an officer and told him about the alleged assault. Martin spoke to the police, according to the complaint, and said he’d “lost it” that morning.
Police said they then arrested Martin.
In a statement to WCCO, a Fridley Public Schools spokesperson said the bus driver, who worked for a contracted bus company, had been terminated.
“No student should ever have to experience this type of senseless act,” the representative said. “The safety of all our students is a high priority for us, and we are outraged and saddened that this unfortunate incident happened to one of our students.”
If convicted of the misdemeanor count of fifth-degree assault, Martin could face up to 90 days in jail, as well as a $1,000 fine.
Fridley is a suburb in the northern area of the Twin Cities in Minnesota.
