Bus passenger comes to driver’s defense during attack

A bus passenger in Kansas City, Missouri, is being hailed as a hero today after he jumped to the defense of a bus driver last weekend and beat her attacker with his cane.

According to the
Kansas City Star, Lynn Judge was driving her route around 12:30 am on January 28 when an obviously disturbed male passenger approached her.

«He kind of looked like he was mad, very upset,» Judge told the
KC Star. The unnamed passenger loomed over her for a moment, muttering to himself and with his hands balled into fists, then pounced on her. He put her in a headlock and tried to drag her from her seat as she desperately tried to pull the bus over to the curb.

«I was just screaming and screaming. I didn’t know if the guy had a knife or a gun. I didn’t know what he was going to do,» she said.

That’s when regular rider Rodney Goldman came to Judge’s defense. Goldman, who is partially disabled and walks with a cane, approached Judge’s assailant from behind and proceeded to beat him with his cane.

«My adrenaline kicked in, and I did what I had to do,» Goldman said later in an interview. «I just got my cane.»

The assailant let go of Judge and she hopped off the now stopped bus to radioed for help. The man fell to the floor and Goldman continued to beat the assailant until his cane broke. Kansas City Police officers arrived on the scene within minutes and took Judge’s attacker into custody.

Onboard surveillance footage of the attack and of Goldman’s valiant defense of Judge spread quickly across social media, garnering Goldman a bit of local fame. In addition, a local medical supply company donated two new canes to Goldman, one adjustable metal and the other a custom built wooden cane built specifically to fit him.

Goldman told the
Kansas City Star that he doesn’t consider himself a hero, just a person who did what was right. He also said that he’ll continue to watch over Judge.

«I’m going to be on the bus,» he said. «And if it happens again, I’m going to do the same thing.»

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