On Thursday, Jan. 22, a man assaulted two Burlingame High School students riding a SamTrans bus on their way to school. According to one of the students*, the man initially made rude comments towards them. After the students ignored him, he stood up from his seat and began using profanity. Despite the students’ lack of response, he remained in proximity and continued verbally abusing them. The bus driver and other passengers did not intervene during this confrontation.
When exiting the bus, one of the students made a rude hand gesture towards the man. As the bus was leaving, the students said the man shouted, “Stop the bus,” to the bus driver, and was then let off. The man then ran towards the two students and attempted to grab one student’s hair. When the student ran away, he continued to follow, shouting insults. He then kicked one student’s bag and continued approaching them even after they told him to stay away.
According to the anonymous source, people nearby distanced themselves and shouted things like “Stay away” and “Go back,” but did not directly interfere.
“I was so alone, and because no one helped us, we felt bad being alone,” the anonymous source said.
The students crossed the street, and one began filming the man. However, he continued to walk towards them, and the students ran to school.
After reporting the incident to school officials, the police came and arrested the man. He was held in jail for two to three days before being released. Currently, he is being closely monitored.
A few months before the incident, the students encountered the same man on the bus. The anonymous student said he was accompanied by another man, and had also bothered them. At the time, the students ignored him, and he did not follow.
*This source was granted anonymity because of emotional safety concerns. For more information, read through the B’s anonymous policy.
*ChatGPT, an AI platform, was used to interview the anonymous student due to language barriers.
