Vietnam vet waiting for justice after attack by Howard Middle School students on Lynx bus

ORLANDO, Fla. — John Taylor says he is still recovering physically from an attack by a gang of Howard Middle School students on a Lynx bus in November.

And Thursday, he was still waiting for justice as well.

Taylor, a 61-year-old Vietnam vet, was riding the bus on Nov. 17 when the group of students rushed onto the bus.

Now, 11 weeks later, the bus company just recently released video of the incident to police.

“The first little guy, he was pushing and hitting people with the ball, the basketball, then when I shoved him back like this, the other guy shoved him to the side and he hit me in my jaw,” Taylor said.

An Orlando police officer working extra duty for Lynx when the attack happened and wrote in a report that he saw Taylor being punched.

“I observed an older adult black male, wearing a ball cap, being punched over one of the bus seats by a black male student,” the officer wrote.

Taylor said it wasn’t just one punch, though.

“He was kicking me and punching me; the officer’s standing up right here down on the floor, and I’m standing right up here under the camera on the bus, and this guy’s hitting me and hitting me,” he said.

Taylor has tried to get Lynx to release a copy of the video, but said he hit a brick wall until 9 Investigates got involved.

“Lynx, in the last minute today, told me OPD had to send a subpoena to them, which they received this morning, and turned over (the video) this afternoon,” he said. “That’s because you all got in contact with them.”

Now that OPD has a key piece of evidence in the case, Taylor is hopeful investigators will be able to identify the students involved and charge them with the attack.

“I don’t want this to happen to nobody else,” he said.

Cox Media Group