Louisiana Mother Says 5th-Grade Son Attacked Waiting for Bus

BATON ROUGE, La. (KMDL-FM) - A Baton Rouge mother is speaking out after she says her young son was assaulted by a stranger while waiting for his school bus along Highland Road.

The incident has obviously left the family shaken and raised concerns about student safety at neighborhood bus stops.

Alleged Attack Happened While Children Waited for School Bus

According to the child’s mother, the attack happened early Thursday morning while her children were waiting for their ride to school. The boy’s mother said her fifth-grade son and daughter were waiting for their school bus around 7:20 a.m. in a parking lot near Highland Road in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The mom, Alisha Ellis says, tells WBRZ.com -

Today was the first day that I didn't go out there with them. I normally would be out there with them. Today I had to go to work early, so that's why they went by themselves.

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According to Ellis, the school bus arrives every morning between 7:30 and 7:45 a.m. which then takes them to Audubon Baton Rouge charter school. Ellis tells WBRZ that on Thursday, March 12, her daughter noticed something alarming as she and her brother waited for the bus.

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The mother says a man approached her kids at the bus stop and hit her 5th-grade son in the face with a shoe. The boy reportedly looked up at the man just before the stranger suddenly struck him in the face with a shoe. The child told his mother he was confused and didn’t know the person who attacked him.

After he was allegedly hit in the face with a shoe, his sister ran to get help just as the school bus arrived.

The school bus company confirmed that the driver allowed the children to use a phone and then reported the incident. School officials were also notified about the incident.

Mother Filed Police Report with Baton Rouge Police

After learning what happened, the boy’s mother contacted authorities and filed a report with the Baton Rouge Police Department.

She also said she was able to take several photos of the man her son identified as the attacker and shared them with investigators in hopes that police could identify the suspect.

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Their mother said both children are now frightened and hesitant to go outside or ride their bikes. She also said they no longer feel comfortable waiting for the bus.

Read more at WBRZ.com.