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BELLEVILLE, IL (KTVI-FOX2now.com) -
A 17 year old student Belleville West High School student was attacked on his school bus, twice within minutes and the bus's surveillance camera videotaped both violent incidents. Belleville Police call the beatings brutal. "It's an extreme case of kids behaving poorly," says Captain Don Sax.
Sax says the boy boarded his bus Monday morning, began looking for a seat and was told by several students he could not sit next to them. The driver instructed all the students to sit, so the boy moved a classmate's backpack and took a seat.
"Pretty soon the kid he sat next to is pushing him, trying to push him out of the seat and the next thing you know he starts punching him and choking him and punching him some more," says Sax. "It's ridiculous."
The victim took at least 15 blows in about 15 seconds. The surveillance video shows the kids on board kept laughing; one even used his cell phone to take a photo of the victim's bloodied face.
"There was a lot of egging on," says Sax.
Four minutes after the first attack, came a second one at the hands of another classmate. This time the victim was punched and slapped at least eight more times, until one boy broke them apart.
"There were a couple students who did kind of step up to the plate and finally break it up," says Sax. "Especially one in the end kept pushing the second person away because he looked like he was going to keep going in to fight more."
Sax says the two suspects are 14 and 15. They are African American. The victim is white.
"There's a strong suspicion that it was race related," says Sax.
Belleville Township 201 Superintendent Dr. Greg Moats says the kids involved are out of school pending a district investigation. He says the district will not tolerate the behavior displayed. Hearings will be scheduled to determine the students' fate. "We take this seriously," he says of the school board.
Sax says the victim did not require hospitalization.
"He's got cuts and scrapes on his face," says Sax. "He had glasses on, it appears a line of his glasses cut his face. He took a lot of strikes to the face, a lot of punches."
The bus driver did not stop during either incident.
Sax says he's repulsed by the behavior.
"It starts in the home," he says. "Better manners have to be taught to kids, just in general. You don't treat other human beings like that."a
"It's a shame, a sad state of affairs when our kids get that nasty that quick over where somebody's sitting on the bus," he says. "It's ridiculous."
Sax says police will present the case to the state's attorney Tuesday. He anticipates the teen suspects will face punishment through the juvenile justice system.
Sax says the boy boarded his bus Monday morning, began looking for a seat and was told by several students he could not sit next to them. The driver instructed all the students to sit, so the boy moved a classmate's backpack and took a seat.
"Pretty soon the kid he sat next to is pushing him, trying to push him out of the seat and the next thing you know he starts punching him and choking him and punching him some more," says Sax. "It's ridiculous."
The victim took at least 15 blows in about 15 seconds. The surveillance video shows the kids on board kept laughing; one even used his cell phone to take a photo of the victim's bloodied face.
"There was a lot of egging on," says Sax.
Four minutes after the first attack, came a second one at the hands of another classmate. This time the victim was punched and slapped at least eight more times, until one boy broke them apart.
"There were a couple students who did kind of step up to the plate and finally break it up," says Sax. "Especially one in the end kept pushing the second person away because he looked like he was going to keep going in to fight more."
Sax says the two suspects are 14 and 15. They are African American. The victim is white.
"There's a strong suspicion that it was race related," says Sax.
Belleville Township 201 Superintendent Dr. Greg Moats says the kids involved are out of school pending a district investigation. He says the district will not tolerate the behavior displayed. Hearings will be scheduled to determine the students' fate. "We take this seriously," he says of the school board.
Sax says the victim did not require hospitalization.
"He's got cuts and scrapes on his face," says Sax. "He had glasses on, it appears a line of his glasses cut his face. He took a lot of strikes to the face, a lot of punches."
The bus driver did not stop during either incident.
Sax says he's repulsed by the behavior.
"It starts in the home," he says. "Better manners have to be taught to kids, just in general. You don't treat other human beings like that."a
"It's a shame, a sad state of affairs when our kids get that nasty that quick over where somebody's sitting on the bus," he says. "It's ridiculous."
Sax says police will present the case to the state's attorney Tuesday. He anticipates the teen suspects will face punishment through the juvenile justice system.
