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Wednesday, 24 December 2014 - 10:17
Man says he defended girlfriend in bus driver confrontation
The man who is wanted by the police for allegedly assaulting a bus driver in the early morning hours of Saturday, October 11th, has contacted news agency AT5 to tell his side of the story.
According to the man, he was cycling on Rozengracht with his girlfriend and some friends when a bus braked right behind them and started honking. Shortly after this the group was on Marnixstraat and the same bus driver passed them again, but this time steering in the direction of his girlfriend.
After comforting his shocked girlfriend, the man decided to follow the bus and confront the driver. The man and the bus driver got into a fight and he shouted "If you want to kill people with your buss, I'll kill you" at the driver. He admits that he was not in a "diplomatic mood", but he was upset at almost seeing his girlfriend run over. They went out that night to celebrate that she is pregnant. According to the man, he eventually left the bus on his own initiative.
The police detection report states that the bus driver stopped on Leidseplein around 04:15 a.m. A few people were waiting to buy a ticket. Suddenly a man squeezed between these passengers and into the bus. According to the police, the man shouted "I'll kill you" and grabbed the driver by his clothes. The bus driver was startled and pulled back, which tore his shirt. The man continued shouting at the driver in English and punched him in the face. The report states that bystanders eventually pulled the man out of the bus. He then rode away on a bicycle.
The police are aware of the man's statement, but made no further comment. They have it under investigation. The man did not report to the police himself and has not been arrested.