Hole in side window

Bus driver: “Was afraid he would pull out a knife”

The side window of the bus was damaged (symbolic image).(Bild: Gabriele Moser)

A 32-year-old man punched a hole in the bus window after it drove away on his way to work. The man with a relevant criminal record has now received a suspended sentence for this at the court in St. Pölten.

"I had to go to work, otherwise I would have lost my job", a 32-year-old man explained his spontaneous "emotional outburst" in St. Pölten in mid-November. When the bus driver drove off in front of him early in the morning, he let his fists do the talking. And - after a short sprint to catch up - hit the windshield, which then broke. Despite everything, the man pleaded not guilty in court.

For the defendant, the blame clearly lay elsewhere. Namely the bus driver. He had already set off two minutes before the scheduled departure time. When the bus driver stopped after the attack to confront the passenger who had been left behind, the situation escalated. "If you take a photo, I'll kill you," threatened the 32-year-old.

Defendant with a relevant criminal record
"I was afraid he would pull out a knife", the 61-year-old reported. The 32-year-old has now been given a four-month suspended sentence for criminal damage to property and coercion. He had scratched a slot machine as recently as June.