Chinese pet owner questioned by police after bus driver is assaulted in argument over dog
- Travellers help driver after fists fly when passenger is told to take his dog and get off
- Bus company says it will support employee as he recovers from neck injury
A man in central China who allowed his unleashed dog to run around a bus is suspected of assaulting the driver after he was told to get off.
Driver Li Jian was working on the 168 route in Hunan’s provincial capital, Changsha, on Monday when he noticed a dog on board. He stopped the bus, opened the doors and told the owner to take the dog and get off, the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported.
The owner ran towards Li, grabbed him by his neck and began hitting him in the face. Passengers came to Li’s assistance and he managed to call the police, the report said.
“I just wanted him to take the dog off the bus. Just this sentence, I didn’t say anything else,” Li was quoted as saying.
Li received treatment at Changsha Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. He was diagnosed with a misaligned vertebrae, the Changsha Evening News reported.
In a photo taken by the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald at the hospital, Li was seen wearing a neck brace and had tubes in his nose to help him breathe. The injuries could take two months to heal, the Changsha Evening News said.