Listen Live
Fantastic Voyage Generic Graphics Updated Nov 2023
Black America Web Featured Video
CLOSE

The Cleveland city bus driver who was caught on film punching a young female passenger has now joined the ranks of the country’s unemployed.

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority announced Tuesday morning that Hughes was terminated from his position for violating the company’s rules of conduct, according to Cleveland.com.

The video of Artis Hughes‘ notorious uppercut went viral and sparked controversy that continued for weeks. The video showed Shi’ Dea Lane, 25, boarding Hughes’ bus and behaving in a disorderly manner. The 59-year-old burly bus driver and Lane got into a war of words and the argument escalated. Witnesses state that Lane spit on Hughes, a claim her lawyer denies. Hughes is clearly seen striking Lane with a fierce uppercut to the jaw after she pushes him.

He then forcibly removed her from his bus.

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority spokeswoman Mary Shaffer, via Cleveland.com, had this to say of Hughes’ actions: “The employee handbook says an employee can be discharged if he uses overt force, strikes … a member of the public,” she said. “We understand he feels that his actions were in self-defense, but we disagree. The appropriate action should have been to pull over the bus and alert transit police and let them handle it.”