Published: 6/5/2020 5:49:27 PM
GREENFIELD — A Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) bus driver was ordered held without bail after he veered the bus he was driving off Main Street and crashed into a stone wall and a building Thursday afternoon while allegedly trying to apprehend people he believed possessed a gun.
Steven Connell, 38, of Gill, was arraigned in Greenfield District Court on Friday and pleaded not guilty to three counts of assault with intent to murder while armed, four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, single counts of negligent operation of a motor vehicle, assault and battery, and assault on ambulance personnel, a civil rights violation and a marked lanes violation.
According to a post on the Greenfield Police Department’s Facebook page, officers were dispatched to the area of Main Street near Federal Street at 3:34 p.m. on Thursday after a call reporting a bus went off the roadway and crashed into a stone wall and a building.
According to the post, Greenfield Fire Chief Robert Strahan was nearby and arrived on scene. He reported he saw the driver of the bus, later identified as Connell, chase after and grab a black man who was nearby. Strahan intervened and managed to get Connell off the man, the post states. Connell was reportedly yelling that the man he was after had a gun.
Officers confirmed the man being pursued by Connell did not possess a gun. According to the Facebook post, the man, and two juveniles with him, were identified and it was reported they had been passengers on the FRTA bus Connell was driving. They reportedly exited the bus on Main Street, near Hope Street.
Witnesses told authorities the three were walking west on Main Street when the bus suddenly accelerated and veered off the right side of the road, going over the sidewalk and crashing, according to the Facebook post. The driver then reportedly ran after the adult, grabbed him and started attacking before Strahan intervened.
Officers spoke with Connell, who reportedly said he attacked the three because one of the younger males made hand gestures indicating he had a firearm, the post states. He confirmed to police that he crashed the bus in an attempt to apprehend the three. Another person, who was seated on the sidewalk nearby, was reportedly almost struck by the bus when Connell drove it off the roadway. No injuries were reported.
According to the post, Connell was later evaluated at the hospital, where he allegedly kicked an employee.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.
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