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Former CTA bus driver defends himself after video of him body slamming man goes viral
A CTA bus driver seen on video body slamming a man has turned himself in to Chicago police. He spoke with FOX 32 Tuesday before turning himself in.
CHICAGO - A CTA bus driver seen on video body slamming a man has turned himself in to Chicago police. He spoke with FOX 32 Tuesday before turning himself in.
Milan Williams, who is now a former CTA bus operator, was seen on viral video slamming passenger Lawrence Madden Junior to the ground. Madden has hired a legal team.
“These CTA drivers need to be charged with battery,” said attorney Arielle Williams.
The incident happened on June 11 at 77th and Western Avenue. Madden says he told the driver he was in a hurry and claims from there he was attacked.
“He got off the bus, I am sitting in the back of the bus. He got off the bus and tried to snatch me from the bus. He hit me and kicked me three times,” Madden said.
The former bus operator says that is not what he saw. He says Madden and someone else was attacking his colleague.
“My first instinct by me knowing he was into it with two gentleman on his bus was for me to try to help him,” Williams said.
ATU Local 241 President Keith Hill says the short viral clip does not tell whole story.
“You see two passengers confronting the driver, one of the passengers that initiated the whole argument gets off the bus,” Hill said. “The other person comes up to the front with something in his hand, I don’t know if he shook on the driver or what.”
Williams was with the CTA for five years. He says these kinds of incidents are very common.
“The routes that we cover on the North Side versus the South Side, we encounter a whole lot,” Williams said.
The CTA says they fired the drivers for fighting and not reporting the incident. The other bus driver had a gun with him and will faces charges Wednesday.