Petition Calls For Hate Crime Charge Against Bus Driver

GREENFIELD, MA — A petition is calling for a bus driver from Gill to be charged with a hate crime after police said he tried to hit three people walking on a sidewalk in Greenfield.

Steven Connell, 38, is charged with a civil rights violation and assault with intent to murder, among other charges.

The three individuals, a black man and his two children, were passengers on the bus Connell was driving. Connell told officers one of the minors gestured that he had a gun on the bus, and when they exited Connell accelerated the vehicle, went up onto the sidewalk, and tried to hit them, police said. Connell said he exited the bus, chased down the man, and attacked him, according to police.

The chief of the Greenfield Fire Department said that when he arrived at the scene, Connell was screaming that someone had a gun. When the chief asked who, Connell replied “the black guy” and attacked the victim. Neither the man nor the two children had a gun.

Connell was arraigned Friday and ordered to be held without bail. He is charged with three counts of assault with intent to murder while armed, four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery, a civil rights violation, assault on ambulance personnel, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and a marked lanes violation.

State officials have spoken out about the attack, calling it "an outgrowth of the insidious, systemic, and dangerous racism that has been present in our communities for generations."

The statement says that as elected officials, they are working to dismantle racist structures and pledge to work together and with the community. The statement is signed by State Sen. Jo Comerford, State Sen. Adam G. Hinds, Rep. Natale M. Blais, Rep. Paul W. Mark, and Rep. Susannah Whipps.