Crime & Safety

Pace Bus Driver Punched in Face by Passenger in Joliet: Lawsuit

The crowds boarding the bus by the Louis mall were "consistently rowdy and violent, with frequent fights," the lawsuit said

A Pace bus driver contending with brawling passengers was punched in the face by one of them, according to a lawsuit filed in Will County court.

The legal action taken on behalf of bus driver Bernhard Johnson said the passengers he picked up at the Louis mall at closing time were "consistently rowdy and violent, with frequent fights and the necessity of police presence at the stop."

The lawsuit named Pace's Heritage Division as the sole defendant in the suit.

About 10:15 p.m. on Valentine's Day, after picking up passengers from the mall, "there were fights and/or disturbances on the bus, however (Johnson) was prohibited by (the Heritage Division) from ejecting any individuals from the bus," the lawsuit said.

After Johnson reached his last stop, the suit said, a "fight involving one or more of the passengers broke out off of the bus."

During this fight, Johnson "turned in his seat to observe whether all passengers had exited the bus," the suit said, and "one of the passengers punched him in the face while another video recorded the incident."

The lawsuit does not identify any of the allegedly unruly passengers.

The Heritage Division failed to protect its drivers from assault and prohibited them "from refusing admittance onto or ejecting from the bus individuals ... perceived to present a danger to the driver or the bus passengers, thereby giving its drivers the appearance of impotence and vulnerability," the suit said.

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