A white bus driver was fired and charged with battery after cell phone footage showed him forcing two young black siblings to the rear of the vehicle.
Friday, September 16, James O’Neil, a bus driver for the Morgan County Charter School System in Georgia, was arrested and charged with two counts of simple violence.
Nequania Carter, the mother of the two 6- and 10-year-old children, asserted that the same bus driver had previously harassed her children and hinted that the event was racially motivated.
Despite analyzing three distinct video recordings of the incident, including footage from the bus’s security camera, authorities were unable to definitively determine if the assault was racist.
O’Neill has therefore not been charged with racially motivated battery.
Carter reported that her children were frightened by the incident and had since been pulled from school.
James O’Neil, a school bus driver, was dismissed and charged with simple violence after he was captured on camera slamming two young siblings, ages six and ten, and telling them to sit in the back of the bus.
“My youngster is terrified, he was terrified, and you could hear him wailing as he asked for his elder sister.”
She informed FOX5 that he was horrified and that she was supposed to be protecting him.
When the six-year-old defied O’Neil’s instruction to take a seat in the back of the bus, despite the fact that the customary seating arrangement is for the smallest children to sit in the front, the driver physically restrained him.
The footage appears to indicate that O’Neil also shoved the 10-year-old daughter when she intervened to defend her brother.
“Do not touch my brother!” The sister seems to be yelling at the driver.
“Silence your mouth!” The motorist responds. O’Neil yells, “Get back there!” while pointing to the rear of the bus.
Then, he shoves the sister and exclaims, “What a pain in the neck you are!” Get away from here!’
I was astounded…
the mental harm it caused…
My children do not wish to return to school, nor do they wish to board the school bus,’ added Carter.
She stated that it was not the first time her family had complained to school officials about James O’Neil, and she feels she singled them out on purpose.
Carter remarked, “I’ve never placed my hands on a youngster, and I’ve also driven school buses.”
The claimed altercation began when O’Neil pushed the younger brother after he refused to move to the back of the bus. He then requested his older sister’s protection
My children do not wish to return to school, nor do they wish to board the school bus.
After the video of the event went viral on social media, the school administration fired O’Neil and submitted the matter to criminal authorities.
The investigation led to the arrest of James O’Neil on two charges of simple battery, according to Morgan County Chief Deputy Keith Howard.
While this was not a complicated investigation, the accusation that the event was racially motivated complicated matters.
‘Investigators spent more time investigating all the facts, including speaking with prosecutors in the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit,’ he said.
Investigators were unable to establish a link between the crime and racism.
Carter and her husband, Blake, praised the community for its assistance in persuading the Morgan Country Charter School System to take action against O’Neil after his arrest.
They added in a statement, “We are really relieved that charges have been made and that no other parents have to worry about the safety of their children in relation to Mr. O’Neil.”
We greatly appreciate the NAACP’s support and aid, as well as the community’s assistance.
However, they condemned the school district’s early response, arguing that it was primarily driven by poor media attention and community backlash.
Carter stated, ‘We believe [O’Neil] was terminated because the story received more press than the Morgan County Charter School System desired.’
O’Neil directs his rage at the older sister, whom he shoves violently, shouts at, and refers to as a “pain in the neck.”
Prior to the overwhelming response, it was rumored that O’Neil would be retrained, according to their account.
They also alleged that transportation manager Alicia Lord ignored the family’s many prior complaints against the driver.
After the event, a school system representative issued the following statement: ‘The Morgan County Charter School System was made aware of an incident between a bus driver and pupils on Friday afternoon.
We immediately took action, including informing the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, with whom we are collaborating on the inquiry.
Due to this being a personnel matter, we cannot speak further; nonetheless, the driver has been terminated.
O’Neil spent one day in jail before being released on bond. He is awaiting the court date at which he will make his plea.