MADISON (WKOW) -- The Madison Police Department says a passenger attacked a bus driver, causing him to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a restaurant on Dempsey Road.
The bus slammed into a building at 1 Dempsey Road, near Milwaukee Street, around 7:45 p.m. Monday. The building houses a Chinese food restaurant called Asian House.
According to an incident report by Madison Police Department spokesperson Stephanie Fryer, witnesses reported a female passenger became upset when she learned the bus was not going to her desired location. Fryer says the passenger then began pushing and shoving the driver.
Fryer says the suspect left the scene before officers arrived. Police were still looking for her as of Monday night. Fryer says investigators planned to review video from the bus once it was removed from the restaurant.
The fire department's Heavy Urban Rescue Team was called in to help clear debris and shore up the building. The team worked with Schmidt's Towing to remove the bus while maintaining the building's structural integrity. Some lanes of Milwaukee Street were closed while crews did this work. The bus was removed from the building and was towed away around 10 p.m. Monday.
Paramedics evaluated two people at the scene. One person was taken to the hospital and the other remained at the scene, according to the Madison Fire Department.
"Our concern is, first of all, for the safety and well-being of the driver and passengers," Justin Stuehrenberg, General Manager of Metro Transit, said in a statement Monday night. "Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, but this was clearly an alarming incident for all involved. It is also concerning that violence was directed toward one of our drivers. Metro employees are valued public servants whose work is important to the lives of our residents, and they should be treated with respect."
Jim Groat has worked at Asian House for 11 years as a delivery driver. He said luckily, the restaurant is closed on Tuesday's so no one was inside at the time of the incident. He said he was horrified to arrive at the scene Tuesday night and see the damage.
"I feel sorry for them, I really do, because they're a family business, and they're hard working people, and to have this happen, you know, this is gonna affect them very badly. It's gonna affect everybody who works at that restaurant," Groat said.
