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PORT ANGELES, Wash-Authorities are calling a Clallam Transit bus driver a hero after she stepped in to save a woman being brutally attacked and also managed to stop the attacker from hijacking the bus. It started as a regular bus ride on a Saturday afternoon in Port Angeles.
When suddenly, a man on the bus gets up, walks over to an 80-year-old woman and delivers a swift kick to her face. Surveillance cameras on the bus capture the violent attack.
As the woman screams, he grabs her head, throws her to the floor and drags her.
As soon as the bus driver hears the woman scream, she pulls over. She yells at the man to stop and manages to pull him off the woman.
Then he starts choking the driver. Other riders watch in horror and call 911.
The first victim gets up. Video shows her face is covered in blood.
The man goes after her again.
That's when the driver opens the doors, allowing other riders to escape. The driver then calls for help.
The man pushes the first woman out of the bus.
Then he starts barking orders at the bus driver, telling her to close all the doors. She keeps her cool, and then jumps out, shutting the front door.
But before she escaped, she managed to disable the battery, which prevented the attacker from driving off with the bus.
Who knows what may have happened if the man was able to drive off. That is why Port Angeles police are calling the bus driver a hero.
The man is identified as 59-year-old Riley Edge White. He'll be in court tomorrow facing charges of felony assault and harassment.