MTA bus driver suspended after fight with teenage passenger

SOUTH JAMAICA (WABC) -- An MTA bus driver has been suspended for fighting with a teenage passenger who demanded that he ride for free.

A rider captured the bus brawl on video. It shows the driver cursing out the teen, then wrestling with him on board a Q112 bus in Jamaica, Queens.

The bus was winding its way through Queens when it came to a grinding halt.

In the cellphone video currently under review by the MTA, 16-year old Kobe Vaughn is in a shouting match with the driver after he allegedly refused to pay the fare.

At one point the teen, who is African-American, shouts racist taunts at the middle-aged driver, who is also African-American.

Finally, the teen appears to shove the driver. When the driver shoves back, there is a brief struggle before the teen gets off the bus.

"Operating a bus on the streets of New York is a stressful job," said the union president. "This driver has 25 years of service to the working families of New York. He's a military veteran working on Veterans Day and now he's facing termination. We intend to vigorously defend his livelihood."