Richardson school bus driver shares details from frightening attack on bus filled with kids
RICHARDSON, Texas- A North Texas bus driver claims a man assaulted him while he was driving one of his regular routes with a school bus full of kids.
"That day it turned that day it turned into a very dangerous job for me," Danny Senkow said.
He told CBS News Texas he's been a school bus driver for about a year.
"When you sign up for a bus job, it's a huge responsibility. It is more than just driving ---you got a lot of little people on board to protect," Senkow explained.
Last week, Senkow was caught off guard when he said a strange man came on board the bus and assaulted him.
"He got a hold of my left ankle and pulled me all the way out of the bus onto the sidewalk. It was painful," Senkow said.
According to the bus driver, the encounter happened after he stopped the bus during a route near the 9300 block of Skillman Blvd. He said the elementary students were noisier than usual, and it's a protocol to park the school bus and call the police and a supervisor when students become a distraction to driving safely. That's when he said the suspect approached the bus.
"There was a guy at the door who wasn't friendly. It looked like he was trying to break the glass," Senkow said.
The elderly driver described a man approaching the bus again. He said this time, the attacker was pulling the doors apart.
"He shouldn't be able to do that. I'm not making enough money to risk my life," Senkow said.
Senkow said he was able to snap a picture of the suspect on his phone outside the school bus. He thinks the suspect could have been a parent of one of the students on the school bus.
Richardson ISD Communications Director Tim Clark said the following in a statement:
"RISD is aware of an incident on February 1 involving a district bus, a driver, and an adult male that resulted in a report to Dallas Police. The driver acted in the interest of student safety. The district is aware of the police report and is cooperating in the DPD investigation."
Senkow told CBS News Texas he's driving a different school bus route. He hopes the suspect is caught soon so he can continue driving worry-free. "It could've been lost worse. He could've had a gun. I could've not been here today," Senkow said.
Dallas Police said they are investigating the incident, and there are no arrests.
CBS New Texas filed an open records request to Richardson ISD to obtain a copy of the surveillance video from the bus. It says it is working on our request.