Cobb Community Transit bus driver stabbed repeatedly breaking up fight www.privateofficer.com

 

MARIETTA GA Feb 25 2012— Cobb Community Transit bus riders showed support Thursday for a driver who was suspended with pay after a video recording showed him being stabbed repeatedly by a passenger after trying to break up a disagreement.

“I think the driver did the right thing,” said Mike Hamby, of east Cobb, of Damian Haney, 39, who was stabbed in the face with a ballpoint pen by a passenger after a struggle broke out on Monday. “Their job is to protect the passengers, and if she is being belligerent, he is doing the right thing.”

David White of Marietta said an experienced driver should know what to do in that situation.

“I felt like he took it upon himself to make the right call,” he said.

But Adrian Brooks of Marietta said Haney should have called for help rather than step in himself.

“You don’t got to go back and try to be Rambo,” he said.

Haney, who has driven for CCT for four years, was suspended by Veolia Transportation, a Lombard, Ill., company that operates CCT’s bus routes for the county, Cobb County spokeswoman Aikwah Leow said.

In a statement, Veolia spokeswoman Valerie Michael said safety is the company’s No. 1 priority for passengers and employees.

“Drivers are trained to follow specific procedures in dealing with passengers who may cause an unsafe situation within the confines of a bus,” she wrote.

Michael declined to answer further questions, including how long Haney was being suspended for, cited an ongoing investigation and the case being a personnel matter.

The bus recording shows a 12-minute incident between Haney and Taniesha Nicole Twyne, 21, outside Town Center at Cobb mall. Haney comes to the back of the Route 45 bus at 3:16 p.m. after an argument occurred after Twyne apparently borrowed a cellphone from another passenger and refused to give it back.

On the video, Twyne can be heard saying “Wanna fight for it,” to the other passenger on the nearly empty bus. Haney comes toward the back of the bus and demands that Twyne give the phone back or go to jail.

After Haney confronts her, Twyne appears to claim to be both the Devil and Jesus Christ.

Haney appears to first call for assistance to report the stolen phone at 3:17 p.m.

Twyne, who claimed to live at the White House, threatened to call President Barack Obama, then claims, “My parents are God.”

At 3:21, Haney again calls for help.

Twyne then says that she can’t steal, claiming “I own everything.”

She then tells Haney, “You’re gonna die!”

After Haney stands in her way while she asks to get off the bus, Twyne pulls a knife at 3:24 p.m., the video shows.

Seconds later, a scuffle ensues, as Haney tackles Twyne into the back seat of the bus, trying to wrestle the knife from her. After Haney pushes the knife out of Twyne’s hand, she grabs a pen from his pocket and began stabbing him in the face with it, according to Cobb Police. She is also shown repeatedly kicking him in the head.

Just before 3:27 p.m., mall security arrives on the bus. Police arrive two minutes later, 10 minutes after Haney first called for help. At that time, Twyne surrenders.

Haney was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, where he received stitches.

According to a warrant for Twyne’s arrest, she was taken to Kennestone for treatment, and when her handcuffs were removed, she tried to grab an officer’s firearm from his duty belt.

Twyne is now charged with felony unlawful attempt to remove a firearm, felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor theft by conversion, stemming from the initial argument over the cell phone.

She has another matter pending in Cobb Superior Court. Twyne was indicted last September on two counts of obstruction of a police officer and a third charge of battery. According to that indictment, she tried to hit two officers and bit a third one as they tried to arrest her in April 2011.

On his Facebook page, Haney said he cannot comment to reporters because he has been ordered not to.

Source: Cherokee Tribune