LUBBOCK, Texas (KLBK) – A Texas bus driver was assaulted with a piece of two-by-four after she asked a man to wear a mask while riding on her bus, police say.
Lubbock Police arrested Shonn Glenn Shepard, 36, of Lubbock, for assault after responding to the scene just after 2:30 p.m. on Thursday.
“A subject had assaulted a Citibus driver with a 2×4 piece of wood,” the police report said. “I arrived on scene and made contact with [the victim]. I observed that [the victim] was bleeding from the back of her head.”
The driver told officers “that [Shepard] became upset when he was asked to wear a face mask while on the bus.”
In early July, Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order to mandate the use of face coverings in public places in most Texas counties. After the driver asked Shepard to wear the mask, he gathered his belongings as if to exit, but then hit her, the report said.
The driver told police she then ordered Shepard to get off the bus. He did, but after she shut the door, he came back “for some unprovoked reason.”
“[Shepard] began using the 2×4 to break multiple mirrors and windows on the bus,” the police report said. “[The victim] advised that [Shepard] approached the driver side window where she was seated and shattered the driver side window.”
Police said when they arrived, Shepard tried to run away. When officers caught up with him, Shepard took an aggressive stand and an officer ordered him at gunpoint to get on the ground.
“[Shepard] was holding a 2×4 piece of wood. The 2×4 was covered with what appeared to be a significant amount of fresh blood,” the report said.
Damage to the bus was estimated at $2,500.
Shepard was held Friday in the Lubbock County Detention Center on bonds totaling $31,000. The charges included assault, criminal mischief and evading police.