DETROIT – Questions are being raised about whether a Detroit Department of Transportation driver did anything to stop a brawl between four teenage girls aboard a city bus that was caught on video.
The incident happened Friday afternoon on Route 48 on Van Dyke Avenue.
A witness, who asked not to be identified, said the physical fight broke out between King High School students in the midst of a packed bus.
"I think it was pretty much at capacity," the witness said. "There were people standing. It was about 3 p.m., so school had just got out. There were quite a few high school students on the bus."
Cellphone video of the incident shows the girls throwing punches and shouting for several minutes.
"The only people that were trying to break it up were some grown adult men that were on the bus," the witness said.
What is also shown in the video is the fact that the bus driver continues driving until she gets to the next stop.
"It seems like she could have did more," the witness said. "She didn't really make an attempt to stop the bus or put the girls off of the bus. She let them get off at their desired stop instead of intervening right away or trying to call police to get them taken off the bus."
Dan Austin, a spokesman for the mayor's office, said an investigation is underway to determine if protocol was followed. Austin said proper procedure is for a bus driver to alert central dispatch about the disturbance, and dispatch would call the transit police.