As a result of the injuring of another SEPTA bus driver by gunfire — this time, on Tuesday night along Ogontz Avenue — transit and law enforcement officials are deciding how to better protect the transit agency’s workers and riders.

Those considerations include supporting legislation introduced by state Senator Christine Tartaglione that would elevate transit workers to the same protected legal status as police officers and firefighters — increasing the penalties against those who assault SEPTA personnel.

“We want the word to go out to the knuckleheads of the world that assaults on our employees are not going to be tolerated,” said Richard Maloney, director of public affairs for SEPTA, in a published report.

The latest incident happened around 9:40 Tuesday night in the 7600 block of Ogontz Avenue — just the most recent in a string of violent incidents involving a SEPTA worker or rider. Transit officials say there have been 46 other incidents in which a vehicle operator or other SEPTA personnel have been injured or wounded on the job.

The incident Tuesday, September 13 on Ogontz Avenue involved a 22-year-old man who was shot twice in the arm outside a Route 6 bus. The splintering windshield glass from a stray bullet injured the driver and he suffered minor cuts. Police rushed both the shooting victim and the driver to Albert Einstein Medical Center in stable condition. Police reported that at least 12 shell casings were recovered at the crime scene.

“In this case, the driver really wasn’t the intended target — he was caught in the cross fire and injured when the stray bullets struck the windshield,” said SEPTA spokesperson Jerri Williams. “But, there have been other incidents — including some that haven’t been reported — like an assault that happened on one of the suburban lines where a bus driver was assaulted by a passenger with an umbrella. The driver suffered a minor injury and the suspect was arrested.”

On Tuesday, September 6, driver Bernetta V. Rembert, 46, was shot and wounded in Grays Ferry by a man who tried to board her Route 79 bus while it was out of service. Rembert was wounded in the arm by the still-unidentified assailant during an attempted robbery at Vare and Snyder avenues.

“After being shot, he called her a ‘B’ and told her to open the door,” said John Johnson, president of Transit Workers Union Local 234. Johnson said the assailant was yelling at Rembert before the shooting and trying to get into the bus. Unfortunately, the vehicle she was operating was among the two-thirds of SEPTA buses not equipped with security cameras. That incident remains under investigation and, as of Tribune press time, the shooter remains at large.

“This is getting to be a very serious problem,” Johnson said. “I’ve been in constant communication with Mayor Michael Nutter about this and he’s extremely concerned. We’re putting together a task force to address the issue and there are some other measures we’re looking to put in place. We’re also speaking with our membership to have them tell us what they would like to see in place to make them and the riders safer. Look at the problem like this: If I’m driving a bus and I’m assaulted, I’m not only in danger but so are the riders and the public if I lose control of the vehicle. Our drivers are telling us they don’t feel safe and I understand that — people are looking to hurt us and we have to be proactive about us. The driver who was injured Tuesday night suffered some serious cuts to his face. I know him and I worked with him. Who ever thought that being a bus driver would become one of the most dangerous jobs in America?”

In response to these incidents, state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione, D-Phila., is urging other lawmakers in Harrisburg to finally pass Senate Bill 236 that would add transit employees to the class of protected workers — the same as police officers and firefighters — and upgrade assaults against them to aggravated assaults, which would increase the penalties for offenders.

Similar legislation has been passed in New York and Delaware.

“For seven years, I’ve been trying to get this law changed,” said Tartaglione in a published report. “Some legislators think we are opening the bill to include too many different things. Not only our bus drivers, our transit workers, [but] how about our people coming on the bus? We should try to make it as safe as we can.”

Sen. Tartaglione was unavailable for comment by Tribune press time, but J.P. Kurish, spokesman for her office, said right now the bill is in the hands of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“The bill passed the Senate in April 2009, but didn’t make it through the House. If a bill doesn’t pass the House, it expires and has to be resubmitted — which it was,” Kurish said. “We’re waiting to see what the Judiciary Committee does with it.”

According to SEPTA officials, there have been twice as many assaults on their employees in 2011 than all of last year, when 20 such attacks were reported.

On Tuesday, September 6, just after 2:00 a.m. at the 60th and Market streets El station, a 37-year-old man was wounded four times by gunfire. The victim managed to survive after being rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. That incident also remains under investigation.

But the most brazen offense occurred on June 18, when young Black males fired into a passenger-filled Route 47 bus in the vicinity of 7th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue.

According to police reports, Penny Chapman, 20, a young mother, allegedly took offense when Lefenus Pickett spoke to her about spanking her young son. Investigators said that Chapman then made a phone call — allegedly to rally a crew who responded by shooting into the bus after she disembarked at 7th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue.

Fortunately, no one was injured but investigators said this one incident could have been far worse. Six people were arrested and charged with attempted murder, conspiracy and a host of related offenses: Raheem Patterson, 21, of the 2000 block of North 9th Street; Penny Chapman, 20; Karon Patterson, 19, of the 1300 block of East Carey Street; Angel Lecourt, 18, of North Marshall Street; Lawrence Rahyel of the 1200 block of Alcott Street; and Keith Bellamy, 22, of the 1600 block of North 6th Street.

Charges were dismissed against two of the defendants and four are being held for trial in the case.

“Public safety is at risk as long as this continues,” Johnson said. “We really need to address this right now before any more of my people are injured.”

A SEPTA spokesperson said that the driver who was assaulted on Saturday by three teenagers had to return to the hospital as a result of complications arising from the incident.

Jerri Williams, SEPTA’s director for media relations told the Tribune that the driver, who is 45 years old, and whose name has not been released by authorities, was complaining of pain and was re-admitted to the hospital on Monday.

“He was treated for a broken nose and facial lacerations on Saturday at Mercy Hospital and released. But because of pain and complications, he was admitted to Jefferson Hospital for observation and testing,” said Williams. “This is disturbing for all of us here, that these kids would do this, because our buses don’t just stop, you have to pull up the brakes — and luckily he did that before one of the teens yanked him out of the seat. If the bus had been in neutral, this could have been a catastrophe.”

The incident happened on Saturday at 1:45 p.m. in the 5400 block of Greenway Avenue, according to Philadelphia police officer Jillian Russell of the Public Affairs unit. “Three teenagers were on the bus using obscene language and acting out. When they were leaving, one of them pulled the driver off the bus and the three teens assaulted him, punching him in the face. The suspects were quickly arrested.”

Officer Russell said the identities of the suspects would not be released at this point and that they have been charged with aggravated assault and related offenses. One of the teens has a record of five prior arrests, one teen has one prior arrest, and up until this incident, the third suspect had none.

Williams said that there have been 152 assaults of varying degrees against SEPTA operators from physical assaults to verbal abuse and incidents where they have been spit upon had water, unknown fluids, or other items thrown at them.

“Out of the 152 reported incidents, 100 of the victims had to take time off from work, either because of physical injuries or emotional distress. One of our operators was slashed with a razor in the incident I’m looking at. I’d like to stress that while physical assaults are terrible, just having someone threaten you can leave the operator too distraught to safely drive a bus or other vehicle. Think about it, if someone spits on you, you’re concerned about that fluid. If someone throws something at you or physically assaults you, you cannot operate the vehicle safely and that puts the driver at risk, the passengers are at risk, and people and vehicles on the streets are at risk.”

Williams said the driver has been with SEPTA since June of 2006 and has had no issues or complaints against him. Wages for operators start from $14.12 an hour to $15.28 an hour, depending on assigned locations. All starting wages increase annually by 10 percent for the first four years. After four years, the top hourly rate ranges from $23.55 an hour to $25.47 an hour depending on location.

In September 2011, a female SEPTA bus driver was shot in the right arm by a gun-wielding thug in the vicinity of Snyder and Vare avenues. She managed to drive herself to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. That same month two people were injured, including a SEPTA bus driver, during a shooting in the West Oak Lane section of the city. A 22-year-old man was shot just before 10 p.m. on the 7600 block of Ogontz Avenue. A stray bullet hit the windshield of a SEPTA Route 6 bus, just missing the driver’s face but hitting him with flying glass.

What is being done to protect SEPTA operators? A recently introduced Pennsylvania Senate bill would include bus drivers with police and firefighters in a protected class status. The bill, sponsored by state Senator Christine Tartaglione, D-Phila., would upgrade assaults against SEPTA operators to aggravated assault, a felony. Senator Tartaglione has been trying to get the bill passed for seven years. Under the proposal, anyone who attacks a public transportation employee could be charged with aggravated assault. According to Tartaglione’s information, SEPTA officials have documented 50 assaults on drivers this year, more than double the total for last year. Under current laws, if the injury is serious, the assailant can be charged with a first-degree felony. The maximum penalty for a first-degree felony is 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. The maximum penalty for a second-degree felony is 10 years in prison. Right now the bill is in the hands of the Judiciary Committee.

Pretty much anyone who has ridden a SEPTA bus anywhere in Philadelphia has witnessed a young mother disciplining her children. Often passengers give the mother “the look,” meaning control your child — and the hint is taken. Sometimes the mother resorts to corporal punishment while other passengers quietly look on.

But rarely do such daily occurrences lead to potentially deadly violence. All of that changed on the afternoon of June 18, 2011, on the Route 47 bus in North Philadelphia when a group of young men fired at the vehicle. Fortunately no one was wounded or otherwise injured, including the intended target, Lefanus Pickett.

On Tuesday of this week, Penny Chapman, 22, pleaded guilty to several counts of aggravated assault and related offenses for allegedly setting into motion the series of events that lead to the bus being riddled with bullet holes. For her plea, Chapman was sentenced to serve 5-to-10-years in prison and a five-year probationary period when she’s released.

On Wednesday, two more co-defendants in the case, Lawrence Rahyle, 19, and Keith Mup Bellamy, 23, also pleaded guilty before Judge Willis W. Berry Jr. Rahyle pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, conspiracy, and possession of an instrument of crime, terroristic threats and related offenses. He was sentenced to 4 to 10 years. Bellamy pleaded guilty to criminal attempted murder, for which he’ll serve 7 and a half to 15 years, aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit murder and serve 5 to 10 years.

So far, six of the defendants in the case negotiated a plea agreement, except for Demetrius Patterson, who has an upcoming preliminary hearing. Co-defendants Karon Patterson and Raheen Patterson both pleaded guilty last month and received 15-to-30-year prison sentences.

Angel Lecourt also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing. The Pattersons were recorded firing at the bus with an assault rifle and a handgun. They pleaded guilty to 11 counts of aggravated and simple assault, weapons offenses, one count of attempted murder and related offenses.

The incident began on June 18, 2011, around 5:30 p.m. and was completely recorded by surveillance cameras installed in the bus.

Pickett told the court during the preliminary hearing that on that day he remarked that Chapman’s disciplining of her toddler was child abuse. She took offense and placed a call on her cell phone, allegedly calling for family and friends for help. When the bus came to a stop at 7th and Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Chapman got off with the boy, and then allegedly she said to a man outside, ‘Shoot that n-----.’

The driver, identified as Desmond Jones, drove the vehicle to Temple University Hospital. Although no one was injured in the incident, SEPTA drivers have been the target of several assaults in recent months. Earlier this year, a driver on the 52 bus was beaten up by three teens.

SEPTA spokesperson Jerri Williams said in a previous interview that there have been 152 assaults of varying degrees against SEPTA operators — from physical assaults to verbal abuse and incidents where they have been spit upon, had water, unknown fluids, or other items thrown at them.

“Out of the 152 reported incidents, 100 of the victims had to take time off from work, either because of physical injuries or emotional distress. One of our operators was slashed with a razor in the incident I’m looking at. I’d like to stress that while physical assaults are terrible, just having someone threaten you can leave the operator too distraught to safely drive a bus or other vehicle. Think about it, if someone spits on you, you’re concerned about that fluid. If someone throws something at you or physically assaults you, you cannot operate the vehicle safely and that puts the driver at risk, the passengers are at risk, and people and vehicles on the streets are at risk.”

Budget cuts blamed for lack of security

The School District of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Police Department say they followed proper protocol in their respective immediate reactions to the news that two students darted out of M. Hall Stanton School, a K-7 at 2539 N. 16th St. in North Philly.

According to the Philadelphia Police, the six- and five-year-olds walked out of the classroom on Wednesday Oct. 17, and shortly thereafter, the kindergarten teacher notified the front office.

“[School officials] searched the school, and were unable to find the children,” said police spokeswoman Christine O’Brien. “They then looked at surveillance and saw they walked out of the school and headed northbound on 15th Street. Their parents and Philadelphia Police were then notified. Their homes were checked, and we checked with stores and pedestrians they encountered on the way.

“After a survey of the area, officers were notified that [the children] were walking toward a subway stop [the Broad and Allegheny Avenue stop on the Broad Street Subway], and at that point, they did conduct a search of the subway,” O’Brien continued. “School police found them walking westbound on Allegheny Avenue, transported them back to school and reunited them with their parents.”

O’Brien said should any city police officer spot any youth on the streets (or subway) during school hours, then those officers would certainly confront the youngster.

“For any kids not in school during school hours, officers would certainly inquire, because we do have truants,” O’Brien said. “So if you’re an officer – or even just an adult – you’d grab them, ask them where they are going. So if an officer spotted them, regardless of if the officer was notified or not, I’m sure the officer would have spoken to them.”

In the confusion that immediately followed, several news outlets incorrectly reported that the two missing students were located on the SEPTA subway platform. SEPTA spokeswoman Jerri Williams said that simply isn’t true and isn’t sure where that rumor came from.

“We have no indication that these two children were ever on a SEPTA train. Police officers said they located them at Allegheny Avenue and 15th Street,” said SEPTA Spokeswoman Jerri Williams. “They were found on the street, and might have been near a stop, but they weren’t on a train - and no SEPTA employees indicated the children were on the train.

“Nothing we have confirms or even indicates they were on the train.”

Similar to Philadelphia Police, SEPTA Police and other transit employees would be alarmed at the sight of two very young children alone at a transit stop and would make inquiries.

“I would think, if a SEPTA employee, cashier or officer saw the children, they would do what any normal citizen would do,” Williams said, “which is stop them, ask where their parents are and where they are going.”

Due to drastic budgetary cuts by the school district that have all but eliminated every non-mandated service, program or initiative, instead of having a security guard or other personnel guarding Stanton’s front exit, the school has had to rely on parent volunteers to fill that role. It just so happens that the volunteer stepped away a few moments before the two children made their getaway.

District spokesman Fernando Gallard confirmed the sequence of events as described by the Philadelphia Police, but added a few more details, including that the district appreciates the work done by parent volunteers, and that this situation is no way an indictment of them.

“A review of the incident does show that the children ran out of the classroom, and the teacher did see them leave. She then called the front office for assistance – which is the protocol [teachers] have to follow because teachers cannot leave a kindergarten classroom unattended,” Gallard explained, noting the next steps are to contact the police and initiative a search of the premises. “They were found safe and sound, but it’s very disconcerting for us to have kids at that very tender age run out of schools and into the streets.

“We are reviewing the safety process in schools to make sure we tighten up anything that needs to be tightened.”

Contact staff writer Damon C. Williams at (215) 893-5745 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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