JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 26-year-old Jacksonville man is facing an aggravated assault charge after police said he fired shots at a JTA bus on Monday morning after the driver refused to let him board without paying the fare.
According to an arrest report, the bus driver told police that the man came up to the bus at the Kings Avenue Transit Station on Riverplace Boulevard around 9 a.m. Monday.
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The driver said the man knocked on the bus door, and when she opened it, he tried to get on without paying the fare, sparking an argument with some of the passengers already on the bus.
The driver said the man eventually got off the bus, and she drove out of the terminal onto Prudential Drive, headed toward Kings Avenue. She said when she turned onto Kings Avenue, she saw the man on the sidewalk, and when she drove by him, she heard three gunshots.
She called the incident into dispatch and drove the bus to a safe spot before stopping, police said.
Investigators said the bus did not appear to have been struck by gunfire, but a “Buses Only” sign was listed as damaged or vandalized in the arrest report.
Officers said they did not find any shell casings in the area.
They said they were able to track the man down in the area based on a description provided by the driver and passengers.
The man was charged with two third-degree felony counts: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and tampering with evidence.