Somerville Man Threatens To Hit Bus Driver With Chock Block For 'Driving Too Slowly'

A 22-year-old Somerville man must have been late to an important meeting because he berated an MBTA bus driver for not going fast enough and threatened them with a heavy wooden block, authorities said.

A passenger MBTA bus passenger screamed at a bus driver for driving too slowly and threatened them with a heavy wooden block.
Photo Credit: *Google Maps/Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority on Facebook*

Josh Lanier

07/18/2022 10:26 a.m.

Wakell Steele hopped on the bus at Davis Square around 6:30 p.m. on Friday, July 15, but pressed the request stop button moments later, Transit Police said.

When the driver pulled over, Steele began shouting at them for "f**king driving too slowly" and demanded his money back, authorities continued.

Steele grabbed a chock block, a five-pound hunk of wood drivers put behind the bus tires to keep it from moving when parked, and demanded his money back again, police said. The driver then jumped off the bus and called police.

Transit police caught up with Steele as he walked down Central Street soon after. As they tried to speak with him, Steele called them cowards and said the officers were only "tough" because they had guns, authorities said.

Officers arrested Steele and took him to the Transit Police Department. It's unclear if he was happy with how fast they drove him there.

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