Arrest after jogger ‘pushes’ woman into path of bus
A MAN has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm after CCTV captured a jogger apparently pushing a woman into the path of a bus.
A 50-year-old man was detained by police at a property in Chelsea, west London, yesterday morning after a public appeal.
He was taken to a south London police station before being released pending further inquiries, the Metropolitan Police said. CCTV footage of the incident, released earlier this week, showed a runner crossing Putney Bridge in London as a woman walked towards him from the other direction.
As the man approached, he appeared to deliberately knock the woman off the pavement and into the road, where a bus driver had to swerve to avoid her.
The 33-year-old woman, who suffered bruising and back pain, was ignored by the runner some 15 minutes later when she approached him as he ran past her on the bridge going the other way.
The bus driver, whose split-second swerve potentially saved her life, has been called a hero by colleagues. He was travelling at around 12mph when he saw the incident and pulled into the middle of the road, bringing the bus to a halt inches from the woman’s head.
A colleague at Putney bus garage told London Evening Standard: “He’s a hero and deserves a medal for saving that poor woman’s life.
“We’re used to having to dodge cyclists but to have to witness a woman being pushed in front of your bus is scary – he’s definitely a hero.”
Another driver said: “A lot of us get a bad reputation for causing accidents, but this shows why we are professionals. He saved this woman’s life and he should be given a medal or something.
“Thank God he wasn’t checking his mirrors or not paying attention. It’s thanks to this driver that she is alive.”
The incident happened as the Go Ahead London 430 service, from Roehampton to South Kensington, crossed Putney Bridge at 7.40am on May 5. The footage was recorded by a camera on another vehicle in the bus lane. The driver immediately returned to work and is said to be stunned by the outpouring of praise after the release of CCTV almost three months later.
His colleague said: “It’s horrific to think what could have happened if the driver wasn’t able to act as quick as he did. To have the precision to also avoid all the other cars, people and other traffic should be commended.
“These situations are where our training and experience are put to the test, that’s why he managed to act so quickly.”
‘It’s horrific to think what could have happened if the driver wasn’t able to act as quick as he did’