A Pennsylvania mother is accused of letting a brief delay turn into a life-altering decision after authorities say she confronted a school bus driver and crossed a line she couldn’t take back.
Authorities have charged 31-year-old Tanelle Day with aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, and unauthorized school bus entry, according to court records cited by Law&Crime.
The incident took place on Jan. 15 in Pittsburgh.
Shayla Harris was driving her usual route to pick up her students that snowy morning and encountered Day at one of her stops, WPXI reported.
“She said I had her baby standing out in the cold. When she first came up to me, I was struggling to pull the brake,” Harris told the outlet, adding that Day accused her of being five minutes late.
Surveillance video reportedly showed Day pull open the bus doors, spill her coffee, and start to punch Harris repeatedly as several students scream in the background.
Harris’ son, who was also on board the bus, was asleep and woke up to the chaos. Video footage showed him jump on Day’s back. Police say it took two adults and Harris’ son to pull Day off Harris.
“Everybody could have lost their lives that day because I was five minutes late. Very traumatizing. Most of the parents I’ve spoken with were very upset that this happened,” Harris said.
The bus driver was treated for a concussion at a local hospital. After spending a week recovering, she returned to her job but was assigned a different route.
“It’s the everyday life of a bus driver… parents are just crazy,” Harris said.
Similar assault cases on school buses have taken place before.
In October, a father boarded a Missouri school bus and ordered his 6-year-old daughter to beat up her accused bully, pushing past the bus driver in the process.
In April 2024, an Arizona mother was charged for allegedly attacking a 64-year-old bus driver she accused of harassing her daughter.
