Police are commending two passengers who stepped in to help after they say an unruly man spit on a SEPTA bus driver.
Police say a Route 20 bus was traveling on the 9100 block of Convent Lane in Northeast Philadelphia around 1:30 p.m. on Friday when a passenger began to act disorderly in the back.
The driver of the bus stopped the vehicle and called police. Investigators say he then went to the back to check on the passenger when the man allegedly spit on him.
Investigators say the driver then left the bus to wait for responding officers. As he was waiting, the suspect allegedly began to verbally abuse and threaten other people on the bus.
That’s when, police say, two of the passengers stepped in. Security cameras captured the two men grabbing the suspect and forcing him off the bus.
Officers arrived at the scene shortly after and arrested the man, who has not yet been identified. The suspect was charged with harassment and disorderly conduct.
While SEPTA Police Chief Thomas Nestel cautioned that they don’t normally encourage passengers to intervene during a situation, he was still glad that the men helped out the driver.
“The big message here is that we’re not gonna take this crap against our operators,” Nestel said. “If somebody acts like that against an operator or a fellow rider, they’re getting arrested. We’re gonna hook them up with a cheese sandwich.”
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