BOSTON, April 14 (UPI) -- Two young Boston men were formally charged Thursday with assaulting a bus driver and causing his bus to crash.
Felix Garcia, 18, and Michael Baptista, 19, both residents of Boston's Roxbury neighborhood, entered not guilty pleas during a hearing in municipal court, The Boston Globe reported. Both are charged with interfering with a bus driver and assault and battery on a public employee, crimes the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority says carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors say the young men were involved in an assault Monday that began when the driver told a passenger to put his cigarette out. But Garcia's lawyer said the driver provoked the fight and deliberately caused the crash. Baptista's lawyer, Jane Peachy, said investigators only talked to passengers who supported the driver, calling them "a select group of witnesses."
Several people were hurt in the crash, including the driver and a 9-year-old girl, MBTA Deputy Police Chief Joseph O'Conner said.
Bail was set at $10,000 for Garcia, and he was also held for violating bail conditions on an earlier armed robbery charge. Baptista was released on his own recognizance.
