Bus Driver Attack: ‘Is That Real Blood? Let Me Taste It’ [Watch]

A vicious bus driver attack in Olympia, Wash. on Tuesday saw a man arrested on third-degree assault charges and his victim in hospital with broken bones in his face.

The attack, which was caught on the CCTV cameras of the Intercity Transit bus, shows the brutal attack which followed a heated argument between the bus driver and a passenger.

The man could be seen harassing other passengers prior to the beating, at which point the driver stepped in to do his job and deal with the situation.

The driver told the irate passenger: “I told you once. I’m not gonna tell you again,” in an effort to calm him down and defuse the situation, The driver than informed the passenger that he would be removed from the bus if he didn’t pipe down.

The driver then pulled the bus over and went to the back to confront the passenger, asking him to leave the bus. The man then said to the driver: “If you hit me in the face, we will fight to the death.”

The driver squared up to the man, getting in his face and standing next to the open door. When the man refused to leave the bus, the driver attempted to push him off – and that’s when the passenger snapped and began beating the driver.

He punched the driver roughly 25 times, hard and at close range, pausing only to mock his victim with the haunting words:

You bleeding? Is that real blood? Let me taste it.

Eventually the man left the bus and 911 was called. When emergency services arrived on the scene, the driver was taken to hospital to be treated for the broken bones in his face. Later, the police found the attacker and arrested him.

Kris Fransen from Intercity Transit said that Tuesday’s bus driver attack was rare and something that hadn’t happened for many years:

“These incidents, I’m very happy to report, are very unusual. Our drivers are very well trained in self-defense. They are trained how to take action to protect themselves and our passengers.”

The video footage taken during the bus driver attack will be used as evidence when the trial comes to court. The suspect’s bail has been set at $20,000.