Son of Beaten Bus Driver Calls for More Protection

Three teenagers arrested for beating a Metro bus driver appeared before a judge in court on Monday, as the beaten driver's son called for additional protection for bus drivers.
The bus driver, a grandmother of five, says she doesn't hold any anger toward her attackers, but said they probably need a little more love from their families -- especially the 14-year-old accused of beating her until she was unconscious.
"That's what he needs in his life right now," said the bus driver, who didn't want to be named.
Her son, Andy Pattalochi, is a little less forgiving.
"(At the hospital) the rage set in. 'Who did this to you? How did this happen?'" he said of his first conversation with his mother after the attack.
Pattalochi wants to know exactly why a group of teenagers allegedly assaulted his mother in the early hours of Saturday morning.
"She had blood over her face. She was very incoherent. It seemed like she had just maybe come out of her unconscious state," he said.
Police say the 56-year-old driver was on her route in Tukwila when a group of seven or eight kids wanted out the back door -- a violation of Metro's late-night policy. And when the driver wouldn't let them, a 14-year-old boy punched her in the head, knocking her unconscious, investigators said.
"They heard the alleged victim cry out and they did see her fall out of her seat, bleeding heavily from the face," said Deputy Prosecutor Susan Harrison.
In court on Monday, Judge Kenneth Comstock had no patience for the three juvenile suspects.
"I think you are a safety risk, and I'm going to keep you in secure detention," Comstock said to the 14-year-old in court.
The teenager's family members denied the allegations.
"To me, it looks like a frame-up," said the alleged attacker's brother, also a minor, "or the police ain't doing their job looking for the other suspects."
But other Metro bus drivers expressed some concern over the possibility of a similar attack.
"You've got to pay attention to everything. When kids get on, I watch them closely," said one driver, who told us her name is R.C.
Pattalochi agrees, and hopes to convince lawmakers to fund additional protection for Metro bus drivers.
"[The teenagers] rushed to the front of the bus and attacked my mom. If there was a cage protecting her, this couldn't have happened," he said.
King County Executive Dow Constantine is also calling for a review of safety on buses. Pattalochi says there was no camera on board his mother's bus.
Amalgamated Transit Union President Paul Bachtel said the overall crime rate on Metro Transit has decreased over the past year, but noted that eight officers were laid off from Transit Police due to budget cuts.
Pattalochi added that his mother wants to thank a young woman who held her hand after the attack. She told the driver to "stay with her," and Pattalochi believes that helped his mother hang on.
The family is now looking for that woman.