INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Public Schools bus driver caught on video smacking a student with a broom on her bus told FOX59 she had no choice but to defend herself.
The cell phone video showed 47-year-old Charlotte McDaniel take a broom to 14-year-old Autumn Bonilla. The fight began when McDaniel was trying to discipline another student on her bus. That’s when Bonilla stepped in and started arguing.
“She told me to put my phone away and I told her I wasn’t putting anything away then we started cursing at each other,” said Bonilla. She added that she was hit in the face with the broom and suffered a nose injury.
“I completely 100 percent admit that I started it,” said Bonilla. “I’m not gonna sit here and lie to you. I did start it. But that don’t give a grown woman a reason to put her hands on me at all.”
“She was being pummeled and hit by the student and was defending herself,” said McDaniel’s attorney, Jack Crawford. He told FOX59 that McDaniel was the victim of an attack. “All heck was breaking loose on that bus! The students were attacking this lady. I don’t know what else she could’ve done.”
He added that his client followed bus policy by calling dispatch for help, but that policy failed her.
“Charlotte called three times to IPS, to dispatch, to try to get police assistance to help her in this situation. And she was told it would be an hour before IPS police would be able to respond,” he explained. “IMPD was there before the school police.”
Karen Bonilla pulled her daughter out of school and wants the McDaniel punished.
“I couldn’t believe that an adult would hit a child like that,” she said.
IPS Superintendent Dr. Lewis Ferebee said they are investigating and do not agree with how the driver handled things.
“Very concerned and want to assure our community that driver or any driver that exhibits those behaviors will not be allowed to transport our students,” he said.
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