POINCIANA, Fla. – Osceola County deputies are searching for a man who they said beat a 14-year-old on a Lynx bus.
Deputies said the beating occurred on a bus in the parking lot of a Walmart in Poinciana on Sunday. The victim told deputies he was on the bus sitting next to the man when they got into an argument.
Several sources close to the incident told Local 6 the man and the teen were talking about mixed martial arts, the argument grew heated, the man stood up and asked how many punches the teen thought he could take. That's when the man started hitting.
"That's improper when he fights somebody, probably for something stupid," said Francis Estradad, who rides the bus with his family.
The Lynx bus driver told deputies he saw the man hit the teen and attempted to intervene, but the man unleashed his fury on the driver, and hit him as well.
The man then jumped off the bus and ran away, according to the report.
Neither the teen nor the bus driver suffered serious injuries, but families who ride the bus want the suspect caught before he lashes out again.
Yesenia Ortiz said her daughter rides the bus daily and said, "I think I'm going to start picking her up from her job so she doesn't have to take the bus. The bus should be safe."
For riders, the incident is a lesson in safety.
"Be more safe. Be careful, and be aware of your environment, your surroundings," said Ortiz.
Deputies said there were several witnesses. The man disappeared somewhere in the nearby Walmart parking lot. Anyone there on Sunday evening around 6:21 pm might have seen him as well.
The man is described as Hispanic with fair skin, 5-feet 7-inches tall and weighs 170 pounds, according to deputies. He was wearing a light colored sweater, possibly white, camouflage fatigue style pants and tan/yellow boots.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Osceola County Sheriff's Office at (407) 348-2222 or Crimeline at (800) 423-TIPS.