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Subscribe to RSSA California bus driver is being hailed as a hero for fighting off a belligerent passenger who tried to commandeer his vehicle. KNBC-TV's Kim Baldonado reports.
A bus driver is being hailed a hero for fighting off a belligerent passenger who tried to commandeer the bus while on the freeway, according to Orange County, Calif., officials.
Robert Galantine, 59, of Placentia, Calif., is in custody after trying to take control of a bus carrying almost two dozen passengers southbound on the I-5 freeway in Irvine Sunday, said Jim Amormino with the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
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"I'm calling the [bus] operator a hero," Amormino said. "On the freeway, people are traveling 55, 60 mph... a collision would have had very tragic results."
Galantine reportedly demanded the driver pull off the freeway because he passed his exit.
When the driver explained that he wasn’t supposed to get off yet, the suspect became upset and tried to steer the bus, at least twice, from the carpool lane into the adjacent traffic lane.
The suspect then grabbed the driver’s sunglasses off his face, and ripped the bus radio out of its socket when the driver tried to report the incident, authorities said.
In the frenzy, the driver was able to pull the bus off the freeway at Culver Drive. Galantine then ran into a shopping center, where police reportedly found him.
Galantine was arrested for battery and child endangerment, as two of the bus passengers were children, police said. He is being held on $200,000 bail.
No one was injured.
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Leave a Comment:
And doing what he should have done is heroic how? I'm sorry, but the term "hero" is being bandied around for far too many situations people find themselves in.
He stopped the guy from possibly wrecking the bus and killing people. Did you even read the article?
That's exactly what he's supposed to do, man the wheel on the bus. He acted according to his authority..."Hero" doesn't equal job responsibilities.
Another excellent example of the old adage...."There are more nutjobs running around loose than there are nutjobs in the nuthouse"!......One must always be vigilant these days.....they are even airlines stewardesses "flipping out" (on the job) and in mid-flight for crying out loud!
Agreed, XD. And after the meaning of "hero" is restored, maybe we can get to work on "miracle" and dozens of other inanities.
I agree. Not to mention he was trying to save his own tail too. The driver did a good job at keeping the bus from crashing, but hero? No.
Hero might be the wrong word but the driver demonstrated a very good ability to handle a situation that might have otherwise resulted in injuries or deaths. "He did quite well under the circumstances" might be a better way to put it. Police deal with such idiots routinely and probably admire the ability in someone with much less exposure. The driver ought to get an "atta boy" and a $100.00 check at the very least.
So I guess fireman are not heroes because its their job and they are "supposed" to do it. If it was a plane the guy was trying to take over I suppose the pilot would not be a hero either because he is "supposed" to stop the highjaker and continue flying the plane.
My XDM40S&W partially agrees. Hero might be a bit too much but the guy still did a good job of maintaining control while somebody else tried to cause trouble.
Pat - Firemen and women risk their lives to do their job. This guy... risked some injury i guess. I definitely give the guy props for not giving into the nut jobs demands, but it's not like he tackled the guy and cuffed him or something. He just pulled over and the dude took off. No disrespect to the driver, he's not calling HIMSELF a hero.
Yep, heros should all have super powers. No ordinary human can ever be a hero. That's just ludicrous to think otherwise. Oh wait, damn you batman and punisher, you have no super powers, WTF!
saving a life is saving a life no matter what you do.....people that save lifes are heroes always have been.
It is people like XD, RT, and Daymon who caused the Medal of Honor to be denied to so many deserving servicemembers just because they didn't die as a result of their heroic actions.
This "holier than holy" attitude towards heroism leaves persons who saved lives in the lurch, unable to quantify their actions. Is the fireman who pulls 1 person from a burning building less heroic than the one who is able to get 7 out? Is the police sniper who disarms a crazed man threatening police and innocent bystanders not a hero because firing a gun is his job, or did he have to walk out and wrestle the man? Is the EMT who resuscitates an unconscious child more of a hero than the surgeon whose successful operation allows a man to live 15 more years?
Keep moving the hero bar. I'm sure in a few more years we'll be fine with there being no more heros.
some people lack cope-ing skills..the natives are restless, get them off drugs/ alcohol/welfare & gaming videos..give them jobs, keep them busy, too much time on their hands.......
What were the passengers doing all the while this was going down?
allswell - From the wiki: "The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States."[1] Due to the nature of its criteria, it is often awarded posthumously (more than half have been since 1941).[4]"
ummm, the passengers were definitely NOT being heroes... there, I said it.
I don't think the term Hero is not a Yes or No thing. Nothing in life is black or white.
So he didn't save the world or run into a burning building, this guy's job is to drive the bus NOT fight of some whacko so I'd say he went above and beyond to me he's a hero.
A hero, by definition, is one who displays resolve, and fortitude in the face of a threat to life, and limb. At speeds of 55+ mph, a person jerking the wheel, and trying to take control of the bus, is a real threat to the lives of the persons on the bus, and the other motorists on the streets. He is not being called a hero for stopping the bus, but for being able to remain in control of the very heavy vehicle, traveling in traffic, at highway speeds. Any level of success by the threat, could have had very real, and very fatal results for more than single person or two. His actions, by definition, were heroic, and it is correct to refer to him as the hero of the situation.
A firm tap on the brakes would have worked. When a face meets a windshield, the windshied wins. Not hard enough to toss people from their seats but enough to knock a standing person forward. I guess the brakes would be the hero then.
F'n bus people are crazy. This is why I drive a car.
That's kind of rude. Some people don't have a choice. Cars are expensive, not everyone can afford to just go get a car.
You do realize car related accidents cause more deaths a year than crimes/illnesses/etc. in the U.S. right?
The same thing can be said of most car drivers. We should all just go back to horse and bugy, no more car accidents, no more road rage, and best of all no more auto insurance.
You drive a car because you're a lazy sob.
Hay - Lazy slobs shouldn't drive cars, as they will more than likely endanger others on the road. It takes a responsible and attentive person to be a safe driver, something lacking in a lot of people on the road these days....
Galantine is being held on $200,000 bail......Maybe next time he'lll get on the right bus (that gets off at HIS exit)
I have a car and I ride the bus so I don't have to pay $300/month for parking. Crazy like a fox!
Someone left the sink running in the bathroom today and I turned it off. Yes, I am a hero. YOU CAN'T TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME!
Well, Josh, I'll come to your house and try to take over control of your faucets and I guarantee that if you manage to get me to run out of your house to a nearby mall, you will be a hero.
Picture yourself sitting down driving, having to fend off a nut-job who is grabbing the wheel and trying to wreck the bus. The Nut-job has room to stand, doesn't have to devote any of his concentration to driving, and may be carrying a weapon.
I don't know if "hero" is called for. Having had a similar situation occur, Just know that letting the perpetrator off the bus without beating the living crap out of him might have taken "heroic" restraint.
dogman, now thats a super hero name if you ask me, Josh not so much.
Steve the Dog Man
Are the the Last of the Dog Man?
XDm9mm why such a "stingy" attitude re praise given by the Sheriff's Department spokesperson ...he sounded very calm and measured in his comments ...that sheriff might know something NOT written in this article
Upstanding citizen would have been more appropriate.
While "hero" is overused to the point it has become an almost meaningless word, the driver still deserves commendation for maintaining control of the situation and avoiding a collision while this clown was trying to grab the steering wheel. Josh and XDm9mm, I hope you would do as well if put in that situation.
liked your comment tim...
also hope the driver wasn't injured when the guy broke his glasses & ripped the radio out of its socket...
My My are we all so jadded that we can't appreciate what this man accomplished. With things the way they are lately, the passenger could just have well pulled a gun and killed the driver. I believe his action protected all those on the bus... and those driving nearby.... I'll stand and applaud anyone who is doing his job that well... AND yes... all police and firefighters are heroes in my book! To say nothing of our soldiers who by simply taking the job... are laying their lives on the line.
I think we all appreciate the man's actions plenty. What we don't appreciate are exaggerations of the truth. Had the bus driver let the crazy person take control of the wheel, he likely would have been killed. Not letting him do so is basic self-preservation. Had he run the nutter down after stopping and restrained him till authorities arrived, I would find that a little more deserving of the term "hero". Self preservation does not always require bravery.
Your statement and the use of the Marine Corps icon are at complete odds.
So in order to be a hero you have to increase the chance of getting yourself killed?
I use the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor because I am a Marine (honorably discharged after my 4 years of service).
By my standards, a hero is one that puts them self at risk in order to safe guard others.
So again, while the bus driver's actions were admirable, where in so doing was he putting himself at risk? Had he swerved or let the nutter take the wheel, he would have been putting himself in MORE danger, not less.
Therefor, it was in his own best interest, whether he liked it or not, to keep the bus under control until he could get stopped.
Like I said, had he gone after the guy and detained him for the authorities - THAT would constitute putting himself in possible harms way so that others would not be harmed by this potentially dangerous individual.
You presume that fighting the passenger was safer.
You presume he knew the state of the passenger's mental health and that there was less risk in battling over the steering wheel.
Heroes fight back. Had he stepped aside and let the man take the wheel, he would not have been a hero. Instead he risked himself to keep control. That it may have saved himself was incidental to the situation, the passenger could have killed him (and only him) to take the wheel. You're willfully inferring the immediacy of the situation.
All of that said, and disagreements aside, as a fellow servicemember I thank you for your service.
tim-43051 ~~ I totally agree. The bus driver isn't what we'd call a typical hero, being that he didn't run into a burning building to save people, but save people he did, none the less, as a crazy fool tried to take control of the bus.
If the bus driver would have been more on the timid, or cowardly side, he may have been easily intimidated, and swerve to get off the freeway, in order to appease the crazy fool, causing a major pile up on the freeway. Had my son been on the bus, he would have pummeled the crazy fool until authorities arrived. Crazy people are indeed crazy, but you never know just how crazy OTHER people can be if you start acting a fool and endangering them or their children.
Swerving a bus on the freeway is a good way to get yourself killed, something a person acting in the interest of self-preservation would try to avoid.
Good thing he didn't run into a burning building, driving a bus and all...
Your son sounds like a crazy, too.
I can't stand those back seat drivers.
hahahahaha, I guess the air breaks didn't work.
I have no problem calling the bus driver's actions both lucky and heroic. My question is what the heck were the passengers doing during the altercation? Surely not sitting by and hoping for the best.
I think it would be fitting if the perp were put in the front of a bus and then driven into a concrete barrier, pitching him through the windshield. It would be a bonus if he landed on his face. Now that would be justice.
he should have gave him a good kick in the nads when he went out the door. now thats a hero
I'm happy no one was hurt, this could have potentially been very tragic.
Also, I'm glad they found the guy!
Had the driver incapacitated the guy or maybe captured him as he ran... hero sure. But all he did was steer the bus back into the lane and then pull off the highway. He did what a bus driver does. Sure, he's a victim of assault, but I don't like that people are making others out to be "heroes" all the time. That is a word that shouldn't be casually used all the time.
What is incredible, is there are so many people in our society today who are full of anger, hate and rage. Where is all of this taking us?
WWIII?
The word Hero and the flag at half mast are both over used.
Why not call him a hero? March of Dimes will call you a hero if you give them money!
Kramer saved a pinky toe and was called Batman. Surely you people can let this guy have his 15 minutes of being a hero. Gotta say though.. The rest of the people on the bus should be ashamed of themselves. (minus the children of course)
so what were the other passengers doing while this nutjob is trying to take over the bus? sitting on their hands?
@!$%#ting themselves.
Isn't that what you are supposed to do when you want to get off the bus?
Ahh public transportation!
Some of you are saying the bus driver was not heroic; clearly you have not driven on the I-5 near Irvine. The road is up to 8 lanes wide in places and the HOV is sided with a large concrete barrier. Traffic goes around 75 mph. The glare in the afternoon is remarkable and traffic is bumper to bumper. To fight of a crazy person while driving through this and not crash the bus and kill several people is quite remarkable.
Row Row Row your boat . . . Gently down the stream . . .
COME ON SING! ARE YOU SICK, WHAT IS IT?!
WTH? Why do people have to argue over nothing, if I were on this bus, and the driver fought off some nut-job and didn't get into an accident, got the bus pulled over safely, I would be calling him a HERO! We could be reading, bus passenger grabs steering wheel, causing multi car crash, 10 dead many injured! Takes hours to get dead and injured from wrecked bus, and other cars and trucks involved! Freeway shut-down! He's a hero!
a hero for doing his job, I guess I'm a hero too. It's a shame we live in a country where so many people screw up and don't do things correctly that doing something correctly equals "hero" status.
Hero is a relative term, so I guess he could be considered one by the other people on the bus.
I doubt any of you stomping your feet about him just doing his job would be considered a hero by anyone.
Kudos to the driver. He did what he had to do and everyone survived. Not just another day at the office. Maybe "Heroesque" would be better, but I'd ride with him any day.