A brutal assault on a San Francisco bus driver also included a verbal attack with racial slurs, according to new information on the incident provided by a labor official.
The driver encountered the male passengers at about 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday and asked them multiple times to put on face coverings.
The passengers, who appeared to be teenagers, refused, and then one of them attacked the driver with a small souvenir-type bat, Roger Marenco, president of the Transport Workers Union Local 250, told The Chronicle Sunday evening. The union represents bus drivers in San Francisco’s Muni system.
The assailants used racial slurs directed at the operator, who is Asian American, Marenco said.
“They spit on him as well,” he said. “That right there is another serious assault, especially in today’s times.”
The driver suffered a fractured finger, bruises and pain where he was struck.
The incident was among numerous racist incidents directed at locals of Asian heritage in recent weeks as President Trump has promoted the idea that the Chinese are responsible for the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s extremely scary,” Marenco said.
Public health orders require passengers to wear face coverings on public transit. Officials with Muni did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday evening.
Marenco said his organization is asking the operators to make announcements over the intercom system reminding passengers to wear masks.
If that doesn’t work, they are urged to call a dispatcher for help.
Police are aware of the incident, although it was unclear whether it was under investigation as a hate crime.
Marenco said he was not aware of any arrests and had not seen any video of the incident.
Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
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July 27, 2020 at 10:21AM
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Racial slurs part of bat attack on SF Muni bus driver - San Francisco Chronicle
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