AC Transit Bus Driver Arrested For Taking Loaded Gun On Route
SAN LEANDRO (KPIX 5) – An East Bay bus driver was arrested on Tuesday after telling his boss that he would be driving his route with a loaded gun, according to authorities.
Alameda County Sheriff's deputies said AC Transit bus driver Stephen Williams on Tuesday alerted his supervisor he would be carrying a loaded gun on the job for safety reasons.
AC Transit officials then contacted the sheriff's department.
Williams was taken into custody while he was on a layover at the bay fair bus station in San Leandro without incident.
"He has a loaded Glock 179 millimeter handgun," said Alameda County Sheriff's Sgt. Ray Kelly. "We arrested him and recovered the weapon."
Kelley said that Williams mentioned safety concerns on the job when he was taken into custody.
"He alluded he as scared for his safety," explained Kelly.
The weapon was registered to Williams, but law enforcement says you cannot operate a public transit bus with a concealed loaded weapon.
"We highly discourage anybody from carrying a weapon onto a bus -- especially a bus driver -- and thinking they're going to use it, when they don't receive the level of training required that's required to carry a weapon," said Kelley.
There were no passengers on the bus at the time of the arrest.
Law enforcement tells KPIX 5 that AC Transit buses are equipped with panic buttons in addition to radios and video cameras in case there is an emergency. It is a misdemeanor for a bus driver to carry a loaded gun onto a bus while operating the vehicle.
