LONDON: A 33-year-old Yemeni national was arrested for allegedly assaulting a British Sikh bus driver, vandalising the vehicle, hijacking it and crashing the bus into multiple vehicles in Telford, in England’s West Midlands region, last week.The unprovoked attack occurred around 6.37pm at Court Street in Madeley, Shropshire, on Sept 18. Video footage shared by a bystander showed the accused, Ali Balhad, grabbing the driver, punching him and tugging at his beard. The attacker was seen pulling out the cash register and hurling it at the driver.Throughout the ordeal, the driver appeared calm, holding on to his beard and begging people around to call the police. “Just take this guy away from me,” he was heard saying.To distract the attacker, Kymberlee Daley (19), who filmed the assault, told him that she had called the police, allowing the driver to jump out of the bus window and flee. To her horror, Balhad took the wheel and started driving the single-decker bus the wrong way down the street.
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The bus collided with multiple vehicles before coming to a stop, even as shocked bystanders chased it.Armed officers arrived at the scene within 10 minutes and arrested Balhad, who had been in Telford for about a week. He was charged with aggravated vehicle taking; assault; attempted grievous bodily harm; driving a motor vehicle dangerously; robbery; theft from a store; threats to kill; and three counts of criminal damage. The accused was remanded in custody and is due to appear before Telford Magistrates’ Court Monday.Paramedics treated the bus driver for minor injuries, West Mercia police said.