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Man charged with attacking MBTA bus driver who asked him to put a mask on

Transit Police report arresting a Dorchester man - already wanted on an assault-and-battery charge - with beating a T bus driver in Quincy yesterday after the driver asked him to mask up.

According to police, a maskless Joshua Rodriguez, 19, got on a bus at Washington and Lebanon streets shortly before 7:10 a.m.

The operator requested Rodriguez put a mask on. Rodriguez refused and as a result the operator requested he disembark from the bus. Rodriguez responded by coughing in the face of the operator and claiming he (Rodriguez) had COVID-19. Rodriguez then declared "I'm not getting off the F****** bus". Subsequently, Rodriguez picked up a chock block (an item used when the bus is in park) and assaulted the operator with it. Rodriguez then attempted to flee.

Rodriguez was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, police say, adding he also has to answer to a warrant for assault and battery out of East Boston.

Innocent, etc.

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Comments

The guy who assaulted the bus driver in Quincy belongs behind bars, for a long time.

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He should be charged with a felony for wearing that much lip balm.

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Shit man, that's really serious. Glad they caught him.

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Maybe we can shift the narrative to criminals or thugs are the ones not wearing masks.

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People like him ...ugg

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19 is just too damn young to have given up on even attempting to be a decent human. I hope the driver is OK and Mr. Rodriguez decides to pursue a different, less stupid and embarrassing path in life.

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.. and any driver or passenger who speaks up when a maskhole puts people at risk on public transport.
I hope there are serious consequences for the attacker and that the driver suffers no lasting harm.

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The T wastes money on some stupid self-promotions - maybe they can redirect some of that money into a "here's what you get" campaign advertising what happens to this guy.

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... if they believed the T was actually enforcing its own Covid regulations.

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an exact example of the T "actually enforcing" its own Covid regulations?

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Not exactly... it's an example of one brave bus driver enforcing the regulations, not necessarily the T as a whole.

Do buses have security cameras onboard? Is there anybody at T central monitoring the feeds? Can they send out T police to a bus (or train) and arrest assholes who refuse to wear a mask? That (IMHO) would be "enforcement".

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The T is not enforcing mask wearing on subway cars. I have seen passengers get on with face coverings and then take them off, when they are seated! Other times I observed other Darwin award winners eating on the train or wearing the masks below their chin. The T is not safe during a pandemic. Hope the Bus driver recovers quickly and kudos for him/her for enforcing the mask requirement.

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I could not like this comment more, Lee. This was Downtown Crossing Orange Line station at 4:30 yesterday.

A busker singing loudly without a mask.

Despite the barriers put up on the benches, someone sleeping without a mask.

Two men arguing loudly without masks, one man taking a blue bike onto the T.

Sat down next to a man not wearing a mask.

I am not overly paranoid about Covid, I take the T, get takeout, etc., but the idea that the T is enforcing mask-wearing is a joke. I also have sympathy for some of the poor souls at the station. Still, it is not completely safe to take the T.

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The buskers are ridiculous. I have tried reporting them through the T app. I always get the answer that the T will not refuse service to anyone. What service are they being denied? They never even have performance permits displayed.

Someone scream singing next to people waiting 12 minutes for the next train? Sounds like transmission risk that should not be allowed.

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