A terror-stricken woman leaped through the window of a moving bus, in a desperate attempt to escape a group of enraged vigilantes who stormed their way onto a bus on Tuesday night.
According to other passengers, the tightly enclosed space on the packed bus did not afford room to move away as the men came charging down the aisle. Passengers could see the anger in their eyes as they bayed for “that rubbish.”
The bus, set to travel from Newcastle to Springbok, had first encountered the group of angry vigilantes at the taxi rank as passengers were boarding. According to one distraught passenger, the men first tried to force their way onto the bus, but were turned away as they had no tickets.
As the bus left the taxi rank, it is alleged they threw rocks at the windows, breaking one, terrifying passengers. As the bus stopped at the Paterson and Allen street intersection, the vigilantes allegedly forced their way onto the bus.
According to the passenger, the men were looking for someone, whom they referred to as “that rubbish.” It is thought the man had stolen something belonging to one of the vigilantes, who took justice into their own hands.
They found the alleged thief cowering under a seat at the rear of the bus, and in the ensuing chaos, a fight broke out in the confined passages. Allegedly, both parties drew knives, attempting to deal out quick and sharp-edged justice.
In a panic-stricken state, one of the female passengers leaped through the window in search of safety. Luckily, she suffered only minor injuries and was transported to hospital as a code green patient.
The driver of the bus kept a cool head, and drove straight to the police station when he realised the situation was getting out of hand. The knife-wielding suspects suffered only minor injuries, and were promptly escorted straight to the holding cells.
According to police spokesperson, Captain Shooz Magudulela, the man claimed to have been attacked at the taxi rank, and jumped into the bus to escape his attackers.
“Three suspects were arrested, and will be charged pending a full investigation,” he said. “From what the report says here, the man was attacked, hit with a brick and stabbed in the taxi rank. We assume the driver closed the doors after the men jumped onto the bus and drove to the police station.”
The actual reason why the dispute broke out, is murky, however, the passengers will not soon forget their bus ride from hell.
