FRIDLEY, Minn. — A Fridley school bus driver was charged with assaulting a student Wednesday after prosecutors say the driver told investigators he "lost it."
Paul Duane Martin, 72, is charged with fifth-degree assault, stemming from an incident that occured in the Fridley High School parking lot Tuesday morning.
According to the complaint, Fridley Middle School's principal alerted authorities to the incident around 8:42 Tuesday morning. The document states she requested to speak with officers about an adult bus driver accused of assaulting a 12-year-old student.
The complaint says officers were able to locate footage of the alleged assault on school surveillance video, which apparently showed a bus driver, later identified as Martin, running off the bus and pushing a different student before tackling the alleged victim from behind and falling with them to the ground.
According to the complaint, Martin remained on top of the student for a short period of time before getting up and returning to the bus.
Later in an interview with police, the complaint states Martin admitted to investigators that he "lost it."
