Shocking moment: A screaming bus passenger refuses to move after a three-time combat veteran, 96, tried to pass in a wheelchair before attacking another passenger
- The video, filmed by a fellow traveler, was filmed Monday morning on an Albuquerque ART bus.
- The passenger, John Benavidez, said he saw an elderly man in a wheelchair asking the woman to step aside for a moment so he could turn the seat.
- “He asked the woman on the other side if she could move for a second so he could turn his wheelchair around, and she refused to do so,” Benavidez said.
- The woman growled back, “Leave me alone. My space. This is my space. I know my rights. Everyone is looking at you. Leave me alone. Leave me alone’
- Benavidez said the driver finally stood up and tried to reason with the passenger and ask her to move, and the older man began to haggle with her.
- “Young lady, I am a veteran of three wars. Three wars! I’m turning 97 next month and you’re trying to stop me.”
- The woman eventually got off the bus, but not before striking another passenger.
The video, which has gone viral, shows a woman resorting to yelling on a New Mexico bus at a 97-year-old man who claimed to be a combat veteran after she refused to move to allow him to turn around in a wheelchair. got into a fight with another passenger.
The video, taken by a fellow traveler, was filmed Monday morning on an Albuquerque ART bus that is piloting a “free fare” program in 2022 when it became ugly at the bus stop.
The passenger, John Benavidez, said he saw an elderly man in a wheelchair asking the woman to step aside for a moment so he could turn the seat.
“He asked the woman on the other side if she could move for a second so he could turn his wheelchair around and she refused to do so,” Benavidez told KRQE News.
The woman growled back, “Leave me alone. My space. This is my space. I know my rights. Everyone is looking at you. Leave me alone. Leave me alone.’
Watch the video below.
Video filmed by a bus passenger in Albuquerque shows a woman getting into a screaming altercation with a 96-year-old man who said he was a combat veteran.
In the video, a woman says, “You guys are disgusting!” before another passenger gets mad at the woman and she stabs him before eventually leaving
Benavidez said the bus driver finally got up and tried to reason with the passenger and ask her to move.
“All you have to do is stand up for 30 seconds,” the driver said.
Then an elderly man began to bargain with a woman, saying: “Young lady, I am a fighter of three wars. Three wars! I’m turning 97 next month and you’re trying to stop me.”
Finally, the driver ordered the woman to get off the bus.
— Okay, ma’am. I need you to jump off the bus immediately if you refuse to comply. Okay, I think we’ll get security,” he said.
In the video, a woman says, “You guys are disgusting!” before another passenger gets mad at the woman and she stabs him before eventually leaving.
ABQ RIDE operates Albuquerque Transit and “sincerely asks passengers to respect each other and our drivers” in a statement.
Benavidez said he has seen a change in behavior on the buses lately.
“This has been the problem of the last few months. People refuse to wear masks, disobey the commands of the driver, twice in the last month I witnessed two people taking drugs on the bus.”
His decision is that the city should increase security.
ABQ RIDE, the city’s transportation authority, released a statement in response to the incident.
“ABQ RIDE continues to monitor and collect incident data on board our buses to help develop policies that will keep our passengers and drivers safe. Safety is a top priority for ABQ RIDE as passengers, drivers and motorists get where they need to go without any problems. We sincerely ask passengers to treat each other and our drivers with respect,” said Albuquerque Transit spokeswoman Lorena Sanchez.
It is not yet clear if any charges have been brought against the woman.
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