CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Student punches girl repeatedly on Cudahy Middle School bus

CUDAHY, Wis. (CBS 58)- A violent assault showing a student punching another student repeatedly on a Cudahy Middle School bus was caught on camera.

Christina Draper says on Wednesday afternoon she noticed her kids walking home later than usual, her son was crying and her daughter Katie was holding her face. Katie told her she had been beaten up on the bus.

Draper immediately went to the police and then turned to a Cudahy Facebook group for help from other parents.

“Two of them sent me a video that was posted to Snapchat of my daughter being violently assaulted on the school bus,” said Draper.

Katie is in 6th grade, in the video you can see her sitting behind the bus driver. Then you can hear a girl saying “go, go, go, punch her.” Shortly after, an 8th grade student runs to Katie, pulls her hair, and starts punching her in the face. 

”She said that I called her a b-word and punched her, and she wanted to fight me because of that, but that never happened,” said Katie Neilson, who was attacked on the school bus.  

Draper says watching the video is devastating.

“To see your child be grabbed from behind and be punched in the face numerous times, unable to defend herself, it takes your breath away, it takes you to a whole new low as a parent,” adds Draper.

“I can’t remember if it hurt or not because I was just so scared that I was going to get hurt, so I can barely remember what happened,” says Neilson.

Katie and her brother immediately got off the bus, three stops before theirs. Draper is concerned nothing was done by the bus driver.

“There’s a whole adult sitting right there and nothing was done to stop this. Stop the bus, call the police, do something,” said Draper.

”I feel like if I go back there she’s going to try to hurt me again,” said Neilson.  

In the video, you can hear the bus driver tell the student to stop hitting Katie.

Lamers Bus Lines General Manager, Dean Brown, says there’s only so much drivers can do, because they can’t touch students or they risk being charged with assault.

“I can understand why parents get upset,” said Brown. “But there have been times where drivers have been charged, not because they just got up and beat up a kid, but because they tried to separate kids or pull kids apart.”

In a statement, the Cudahy School District says:

“We were informed that a fight broke out on a bus last night involving two middle school students. Administration has investigated the incident and took appropriate action with those involved.”

“We deal with these things all the time,” said Brown. “But the bottom line, I have to say, is we’re doing everything in our power to combat it and prevent it from taking place.”

Draper says after the attack, she hopes the district and Lamers Bus Lines will develop new ways to make sure students are able to ride the bus home safely.