'It Shouldn't Have Happened': Fundraiser Held For Assaulted Bus Driver
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) - With a sprinkle of kindness, a dollop of gratitude, and cup full of support, Sandra Muzzy said this sweet gesture is the least she could do.
"I thought of making a hot meal and then I thought I'm a bad cook, I can do ice cream," she said.
Outside her home, Muzzy organized an ice cream social and silent auction fundraiser for her neighbor's father.
"People in the neighborhood have donated all kinds of stuff because they felt sympathy that this happened," she said. "It shouldn't have happened."
Muzzy was referencing a frightening and painful day back in April.
Her neighbor's father, a Metro Transit bus driver, was on a route through north Minneapolis.
Transit officials said he stopped the bus because a passenger was being combative.
In a cell phone video, you can see the passenger's boyfriend board the bus and attack the driver.
Nobody intervened.
"It was horrific and I didn't realize it was him," Muzzy said of the video.
Days later the suspect, Sterling Verloz Smith, was arrested.
The driver eventually got back to driving, but he now has a protective barrier around his seat.
Fellow MTC driver Philip Jarosz feels barriers make a difference.
"Whether it's a blink of an eye, it gives us a little bit more awareness, acknowledgement that something's about to get closer," Jarosz said.
He hadn't met the attacked driver until Sunday's event, but wanted to come by and show his support, not just as a co-worker but as a community member.
Boosting the driver's morale was the goal. The fundraiser was just the cherry on top.
"The money is one thing, but just to know that people care for you is more important than anything," Muzzy said.
Ryan Timlin, ATU Local 1005 president, said the number of MTC buses with barriers sits at about 20.
At the afternoon event, Timlin said the effort to get more of them has been slow going. A study is being done to understand how well they protect drivers.