Alarming surveillance footage from a bus in Charlotte, North Carolina, shows a chaotic exchange of gunfire between a bus driver and a passenger following a dispute earlier this month.
Video from the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) shows the moment that a passenger, Omarri Tobias, and the bus driver, David Fullard, exchange gunfire with bullets breaking through a shield that separates the driver from passengers.
It’s unclear who fired first in the exchange.
The shocking shootout occurred after Tobias asked Fullard to make an unscheduled stop on May 18 before Fullard turned down the request, according to Charlotte’s WCNC.
“I dare you, touch me,” the passenger says as the two go on to have a tense exchange at the front of the bus.
Tobias is seen in the video pulling out a gun before Fullard pulls out a gun of his own prior to shots ringing out on the bus.
The bus then trails off the road before coming to a stop as Fullard exits his seat and points his gun toward Tobias, who crawls toward the back of the bus.
“Get your ass back,” Fullard said before shooting at Tobias as he headed out of a side exit on the bus.
The two then make their way off the bus as Fullard takes another shot at Tobias, who appears to be behind a donation bin.
Check out the frightening video below.
Tobias, 22, is facing several assault charges and stayed in the hospital for six days following the shootout, according to The Charlotte Observer.
Tobias and Fullard suffered life-threatening injuries in the shootout and are expected to recover from the injuries, according to Brent Cagle, interim CEO of CATS.
CATS has since parted ways with Fullard over the shootout and stated that it prohibits employees from having a weapon while on the job, according to Charlotte’s WSOC-TV.
Fullard was not facing charges as of Friday night, WSOC-TV reported.
Fullard’s attorney, Ken Harris, told WCNC that his clients “just want safeguards put in place to protect them in their workplace.” Bus drivers being hurt or assaulted on the job has become a “persistent problem” in Charlotte, he said.
WCNC cited the shooting of Charlotte driver Ethan Rivera, who died from injuries sustained while he was shot driving a bus in February 2022.
“It creates a situation where drivers fear that they won’t make it home,” Harris told the news station of the violent incidents.
Charlotte City Councilman Ed Driggs told the news station that the city is set to double its budget so it can “commit to security measures” on its buses in its current budget cycle and the following year.