LOXLEY, Ala - The security shield being installed on Greyhound buses is being credited with helping defuse a situation involving a passenger who went nuts and tried to attack the driver.
A spokesman for the Baldwin County, Ala., Sheriff's Department said the driver's alertness, combined with a quick response by deputies, also helped keep the episode from escalating into violence.
The incident occurred last month as a Greyhound coach was traveling on Interstate 10 between Pensacola, Fla., and Mobile, Ala. A passenger from Gary, Ind., became agitated and tried to get at the driver.
As the man cursed and threatened to kill passengers, the driver pulled the bus off the highway in Loxley, about 17 miles east of Mobile.
Sgt. John Murphy, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Department, said some of the 35 passengers helped subdue Lawrence W. Reedus while deputies placed him in handcuffs. In a phone interview with Bus & Motorcoach News, Murphy said the early morning incident left passengers shaken, with a few still sobbing when deputies arrived.
In their report, the deputies credited the driver shield with playing a role in controlling events.
Greyhound spokeswoman Kim Plaskett said the company began installing the transparent driver shields over the summer after receiving a grant from the Transportation Security Administration in October 2003. (See Nov. 1, 2003, issue of Bus & Motorcoach News.)
The shields have been controversial among Greyhound drivers and a topic of discussion by drivers on the Internet. Some have questioned the potential effectiveness of the shields.
Ms. Plaskett declined to say how many Greyhound coaches now have the safety shields, which were designed to protect drivers from attacks by unruly passengers. A year ago, Greyhound said it planned to spend $5 million installing shields on 1,700 of its buses.
Ms. Plaskett said Greyhound equips all of its drivers with cellular telephones that have preprogrammed emergency numbers. She said the driver pulled off at an exit and then called 911. "The driver did exactly what he was trained to do," she said.
Murphy said Reedus, 67, boarded the bus in Pensacola and apparently became enraged over a problem he perceived on the bus. The barrier prevented him from reaching the driver.
"And then he got angry and started yelling profanities and threatening the passengers," said Murphy. "He just was really using harsh language." Murphy said Reedus told passengers he was a combat veteran and would kill them with his bare hands. Deputies had to carry Reedus from the bus.
Reedus was charged with communicating a terrorist threat.