A bus driver was left brain-dead after a group of passengers refusing to wear face masks ruthlessly beat him.
The French bus driver Philippe Monguillot, 58, confronted the disobedient passengers defying the restriction requiring face masks on public transportation. Not only the gang didn’t wear masks, but they also boarded without tickets, Ney York Post reports. As Le Parisien reveals, the incident happened on Sunday in Bayonne, France.
An investigating source told Daily Mail:
“They got on the bus without masks, and also refused to show a ticket. The first to get on had a dog with him – they just assumed they could all get on and do what they want, but the driver had to do his job.”
After a heated argument, the driver was dragged by his offenders off the bus onto the platform. There, the group punched and kicked him numerous times, leaving him with severe injuries.
Mr. Monguillot was left unconscious, whilst the gang escaped. He was then brought to a hospital, where doctors confirmed he was brain-dead.
The bus driver’s devastated wife, Veronique, shares their lives have been “destroyed” after the brutal attack.
“He can’t leave us like this, he was going to be 59 years old soon. No, you don’t do this over a bus ticket. You don’t kill for free like this.”
After the assault, five people, whose identities haven’t been revealed, are now facing charges.
One of Mr. Monguillot’s colleagues said:
“There has been a lot of tension over masks because they are the law, but bus staff are not police, and we should not have to enforce the law.”
Mayor Claude Olive of Bayonne slammed the attack as “barbaric”.
“Philippe was a wonderful person who should have been protected.”
Furthermore, the mayor claimed the city was working towards improving the safety of bus drivers while on duty.
