A Metrobus passenger sprayed Sunny Delight in the face of a driver Tuesday, marking the third time a Metrobus driver has been assaulted in recent weeks.
Police say Allison Thomas, 24, and two children got on the W-1 bus on the 4300 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SW just after 5 p.m. Thomas was still walking toward the back of the bus when the driver pulled away from the stop.
Thomas confronted the driver for moving the bus before she was seated and began cursing at the operator, according to police. The driver told Thomas that he didn't notice she wasn't seated and didn't want to get into an argument.
Police say Thomas then sprayed the driver in the face and body with a squeeze bottle full of Sunny Delight, an orange-flavored drink.
The driver stopped the bus, and Thomas got off the bus, police say.
Thomas was located about a block away, where police say she resisted arrest and attempted to flee. She later admitted to committing the assault and was charged with simple assault and resisting arrest.
Police say she also had an outstanding assault warrant in Prince George’s County.
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The driver declined medical treatment.
A recent security report from Metro Transit police shows assaults on bus operators rose about 20 percent for the first six months of 2017 when compared to the same time frame in 2016.
This is the third assault on a Metrobis driver in recent weeks. Two weeks ago, an armed passenger on a Metrobus threatened the bus driver and other passengers. In August, a woman threw a cup of her own urine on a D.C. bus operator.
