Video shows MTA driver engaged in vicious fight with young passenger

BALTIMORE - A student and a Maryland Transit Administration driver were involved a violent wrestling match on an MTA bus and it was all caught on tape.  It happened yesterday in downtown Baltimore and was posted on YouTube Tuesday.

The video is shocking, showing a wrestling match of sorts between an MTA driver and a student, with the women tossing each other over seats and across the aisles as other passengers sit back and watch.  The person who posted the video claims the bus driver hit a young female passenger after saying her music was playing too loud.

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MTA spokesman Terry Owens confirms the driver shown in the video has worked for the agency since 2003.  Her identity is not being released.  Owens says the fight happened yesterday afternoon on the #40 Line bus near Baltimore and Paca streets in the city.

The video shows the driver and passenger scuffle for more than a minute.  When the pair finally separate, the driver says the young woman was being disrespectful. 

Owens, who says he has seen the tape, says MTA drivers are trained in conflict resolution and are supposed to try and de-escalate a bad situation. 

He tells ABC2, “If an operator feels like they are in some kind of danger themselves, then and only then are they allowed to engage a customer.  But under no circumstance do we condone an operator fighting with a passenger."

The driver has been removed from service while MTA police investigate.  Owens could not say whether she is being paid as the case is handled.  He indicates the driver filed a report about the fight at the end of her shift Monday.

MTA Police have spoken to the driver and the young women seen on the tape.  Owens says once they have talked to witnesses and reviewed video recorded within bus surveillance system, they will decide whether criminal charges should be filed.