CINCINNATI -- A school bus driver was taken to the hospital Tuesday morning after a parent pried open the vehicle’s doors and attacked her, according to the Cincinnati Police Department.
Westwood’s Mustang Drive is typically a quiet neighborhood, according to Danielle Fennell, who said she has lived along the street for years, but that wasn’t the case Tuesday.
"I looked up the street and there were just so many cop cars," she said. "And they were still coming."
The incident started out harmlessly, according to bus driver Deamber Martin.
Kiesha Shannon, 28, was dropping her daughter off at a bus stop and then called the girl back into the car for a goodbye kiss. Martin, who said she had warned Shannon that the bus would leave if her daughter were not ready on time, pulled away before the girl could get on board.
Shannon, 28, parked her car in front and forced it to stop, according to police. She then pried open the doors, shouting at the Martin, and attacked her.
"She tried to smother me," Martin said. "She tried to bite my ear off. She was scratching my face. She spit on me twice and she tried to puncture out my right eye as well."
The attack left the Martin with injuries to her face, police said, which were treated at a nearby hospital after Shannon's arrest.
Neighbors who live in the area say police waited with the student who witnessed the attack until her parents arrived to collect her. She was uninjured.
“You would expect that to be another safe haven when your kids leave your house and they go to another safe haven -- which is their school -- so that’s a little scary for me," said neighbor Adrienne Wells. "I know it was scary for her and the child that was actually on the bus.”
Shannon appeared in court Wednesday. The bus company, First Student, is also investigating what may have led up to the attack.
