Complaints Filed Following Incident On Bus To Akureyri

Last week it was reported that two passengers assaulted a driver. Now, two complaints have been filed. Frettablaðið reported on the matter last week, and new developments have arisen.

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A passenger was left behind in Blönduós after having spent too much time at a rest stop. The bus driver, who must keep to a strict schedule, had asked the Strætó control centre for instructions and they told him to continue his route, and to leave the passenger behind. The man left behind contacted the police and they decided to drive him back to the bus, which was about 60 km away. Strætó control told the bus driver to stop the bus and to wait for the police. When the police arrived, the passengers were reunited and driven to Akureyri. Once there, one of the men attacked the bus driver, punching him repeatedly. He and his travelling companion returned later and attacked the bus driver again. The driver has been on sick leave for at least two weeks now, and is experiencing severe dizziness and discomfort following the assault.

However, as reported by RÚV yesterday, one of the passengers has also filed a complaint against the driver for assault. Eyþór Þorbergsson, the deputy chief of police in Akureyri, says the case is under investigation but pending. “A report has been taken from both men and according to the passenger’s testimony, the attack was reciprocal and therefore a fight.”

Eyþór says that the case is a priority but that domestic violence and sexual offenses take precedence. “We do not have any recordings of the incident, but there were about twenty passengers in the bus that we will interrogate. It is not clear when the testimony will be given.”

According to Pétur Björnsson, chief of police at the North West police, the police were only trying to help a citizen. “The man calls the emergency line from Blönduós and says he missed the bus when he was buying a hot dog. There was a police car leaving Blönduós in Skagafjörður due to another call, so it was decided to take the man along on the way. When it became clear that the police would not catch the bus in time in Varmahlíð, the police asked the telecommunications centre to contact Strætó and delay the bus.”

Pétur said the man behaved fairly, he certainly smelled of alcohol, but he was not a nuisance to the police.