Two people have been arrested and one more remains at large after angry parents beat up a Palm Beach County bus driver last week.
Shacaurra Burns, 25, and Ryan Beckford, 33, as well as a third person are accused of assaulting West Palm Beach elementary school bus driver Joseph Beauzile, 40, according to a Palm Beach County School District Police arrest report.
Palm Beach bus drivers held a rally outside Palm Beach County School District offices in West Palm Beach on Monday morning to protest the attack.
Burns, meanwhile, says Beauzile got everything he deserved that day.
Beauzile says he was attacked by three parents last week as he dropped off kids at the Executive Center Place stop in West Palm Beach. The kids were being unruly on the bus, Beauzile says, which prompted him to tell them to sit down. Beauzile says he stopped the kids from getting off the bus so he can line them up in an orderly single file.
This, he says, pushed the parents to rip open the school bus door and rush and attack him.
Burns apparently got onto the bus, but Beauzile was able to close the door. That's when Beckford forced the door open and jumped on the bus. Beckford then began punching Beauzile, according to the police report.
Burns told wptv.com that she never hit Beauzile but that he deserved "everything he got that day."
"I did lose my temper. I believe the tape on the bus is going to be horrendous on my part because I was using foul language. But I did not put my hands on him," Burns said, per wptv.com. "The bus driver was basically letting the kids off the bus one at a time because they were not sitting in their assigned seats. It was crazy because everyone wanted to go home."
Beauzile suffered injuries to his head and ribs and told police he feared for his life during the attack.
The district says it has surveillance video of the incident but has not released it due to the ongoing investigation. Police have gotten a look at the video. According to police, some of the children looked terrified as the attack ensued. One student jumped out the back emergency window when the punching started, according to the police report.
Burns and Beckford, meanwhile, are facing trespassing, battery, and child abuse charges. Burns is being held in Palm Beach County Jail in lieu of $6,000 bail. Beckford is held in lieu of $14,000 bail.
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