A Brooklyn school bus attendant has been suspended after he was caught on video throttling a 13-year-old disabled teen whose parents say has the mental capacity of a 5-year-old.
According to the New York Daily News, Shaheen and Alex Knox are suing the Leesel Transportation Corp. and their driver, Beleck Valmont after he assaulted their daughter, India, during a ride to class at Manhattan Children’s Center on Oct 30.
According to the Knox's, India requires 24-hour medical care, and they are horrified by what they saw on the video, calling it, "Every parent's worst nightmare."
Valmont's actions were caught on video by another employee of the company, and shows him pushing the girl's head into the seat in front of her before shoving it at the window.
During the assault, India can be heard saying, "I'll calm down, I'll calm down" with Valmont simply telling her "No."
Informed of the video, Valmont's employer notified her parents and called the police who took the driver into custody and charged him with six crimes including assault.
According to Valmont, he was attempting to protect the other children, saying the girl was spitting on -- and infuriating -- other kids on the bus.
“I’m sorry about what happened because I didn’t want to do anything wrong to the girl,” Valmont, who has worked as a bus attendant for 13 years, said. “I love kids and I never got into trouble.”
According to paraprofessional Justin Foster who filmed the incident, he saw Valmont as a threat to the kids.
“He was pulling her hood over her head and mashing her head into the seat and you don’t do stuff like that,” said Foster. “It was a situation where I felt I had to do the right thing.”
The report states that City Education Department officials have suspended Valmont pending his trail.
Watch the video below:
