Police search for mom accused of attacking bus driver continues; 2 teens arrested

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The Baton Rouge Police Department is searching for a woman in connection with an attack on a school bus driver on Wednesday, April 26, around 5:30 p.m.

UPDATE:

Police said they arrested a 13-year-old girl on Friday, April 28, for attacking the school bus driver. She was booked into East Baton Rouge Juvenile Detention Center on charges of second-degree battery and battery of a school bus driver, according to officials. The teen’s name nor a mugshot was released due to her age.

ORIGINAL:

Brittany Banks, 34, is charged with battery of a school bus driver, second-degree battery, and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, officials said.

Carlicia Lewis, 18, is charged with second-degree battery of a school bus driver and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. Lewis has been arrested by BRPD and booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

A cell phone video posted online shows women entering a school bus and hitting the driver.

Police said the bus driver told the student to call her parents to get her off the bus due to her disruptive behavior and an argument about the bus route. When Banks and Lewis arrived at 4600 Bradley St., the bus driver opened the doors to explain to Banks what occurred.

Banks and Lewis both entered the bus, but Banks is seen in the video hitting the bus driver with a closed fist first. Lewis then joins in striking the bus driver, officials added.

Lewis stated she was attempting to break up the physical altercation in court documents.

The driver sustained a broken finger and multiple injuries to her head, neck, and shoulder area.

*WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTENT MAY BE GRAPHIC TO SOME VIEWERS*

WAFB has learned the bus driver is employed by First Student. Students on the bus are from a Baton Rouge charter school separate from the East Baton Rouge Parish School System.

Mayor Pro Tem Lamont Cole is investigating to see if the city government can do anything to increase safety for school employees. Cole is also the chief academic officer for CSAL INC Charter Schools.

”The incident we saw on that video, not only put the bus driver in jeopardy of being harmed and hurt because she was the one attacked, but the children on the bus were also in danger as a result of that behavior. What if the bus driver decided to get off the bus, leave, and leave the children alone because she was being attacked? And someone gets on the bus and does something extremely harmful to those children? We have to consider how the decisions we make dictate what happens next,” Cole said.

Cole plans to look at every option possible.

”If we can’t do it locally, I’d ask our legislative folks at the state to do so,” Cole said.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Click here to report a typo.

Copyright 2022 WAFB. All rights reserved.