March 5, 2025

"A Madison woman... attacked a Metro bus driver after learning the bus wasn't going to her desired location."

"That caused the driver to lose control of the bus and crash into the restaurant... Despite a policy to not name people accused of crimes until they’re formally charged in court, News 3 Now is naming the suspect(s) in this story because of the nature and severity of the alleged crime."

From "Madison woman arrested in attack on Metro bus driver that led to Asian House crash" (Channel 3000). (listing the alleged crimes as "disorderly conduct, battery to a public transit operator and second-degree recklessly endangering safety").

I'm blogging this not merely because it's a bit surprising to see that it was a woman who (allegedly) caused the bus crash Madisonians were talking about last week:

Bus crash near east side Woodman’s
byu/sassonblast inmadisonwi

I'm blogging this because we all understand how frustrating it is to find yourself in the middle of a bus ride that isn't going where you had in mind and because it is so incredibly foolish to attack the driver of a vehicle that you are riding in. You're hoping to get where you are going, but everything you are doing is only taking you farther away from that place.

File this story under potential metaphor. Could work for politics... or maybe for your personal life.

66 comments:

Iman said...

“Have mercy. Been waitin’ for the bus all day…”

Iman said...

Yeah, we’ve all been there… can’t figure the bus schedule out so you must beat the shit out of an innocent and teach that sumbitch a lesson.

rehajm said...

Yah, potential metaphor. We’re all capable of seeing only what we want. Here I only see a young Sandra Bullock before she got stupid…

Kate said...

I reject this story as a metaphor. A woman off her meds freaked out on public transportation.

Biotrekker said...

When you hear the story, you think to yourself that there is a certain group - easily identifiable - with low average IQ, high impulsivity and high time preference and you guess she belongs to that group. You see her picture, and your "priors" are once again vindicated, but it does not make you happy.

Clyde said...

Why am I not surprised?

mezzrow said...

Not taking the bait. Thanks.

Sally327 said...

I only know one woman living in Madison. She should know some decent lawyers at least.

gilbar said...

have they posted a picture of the black lady yet?

Wince said...

Althouse said…
…find yourself in the middle of a bus ride that isn't going where you had in mind…

Enough voters felt that way about Biden-Harris.

gilbar said...

oh, i see i should have done my reading assignment..

Eva Marie said...

Every cloud has a silver lining? QPS Employment Group just found a lot of jobs for their members. Those jobs just fell into their laps, so to speak.

Kevin said...

They have to release the name so you don’t think it was an Asian bus driver stopping for dinner.

Rocco said...

Madison woman? Any relation to Madison Man?

Dave Begley said...

Raeven Johnson, 26,

Rocco said...

mezzrow said...
Not taking the bait. Thanks.

What if the “bait” is sushi?

Iman said...

Don't call me Johnson. You can call me Rae, or Rae J., or Rae J.J. ... but you doesn't have to call me Johnson!

Space City Girl said...

Trump’s the bus driver and the Dems are the woman. But Trump has super human driving skills and will never crash the bus.

gspencer said...

What if the transport had been a train. What would Raeven have demanded of the driver?

Like mezzrow, not taking the bait. (Though it's tempting)

RideSpaceMountain said...

I blame the schools.

Curious George said...

Her actions are totally understandable. I mean you can trash and loot stores and try to burn down government buildings in Madison without repercussions, what's a little assault to a bus driver.

Cappy said...

Just tell her to calm down.

Disparity of Cult said...

Was she still upset from getting cold fries at McDonald's?

chuck said...

"If you get on the wrong train, get off at the nearest station. The longer it takes you to get off, the more expensive the return trip will be." It doesn't only apply to trains.

Scott Patton said...

There's a slightly more funny universe where she was actually trying to get to that restaurant but now they're closed 'cause a bus hit it.

Charlie said...

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess she is a Harris/Walz voter.......just a hunch.

Bob Boyd said...

The problem with causing a bus to crash into a Chinese restaurant is, an hour later you're angry again.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

STOP ASIAN HATE!

Peachy said...

I'm guessing her desired location was .... jail?

Virgil Hilts said...

I think Ann has touched on this before, but whenever I see stories like this I think of the Wisconsin Welfare Magnet phenom (researched since the 1970s); a major reason WI has one of (if not) the worst relative outcomes for blacks in the United States (Madison's stats are truly abysmal).

RideSpaceMountain said...

"The problem with causing a bus to crash into a Chinese restaurant is, an hour later you're angry again."

LOL

R C Belaire said...

Is "metaphor" now the Word Of The Day on this blog? I like it!!

Leland said...

Kate said...
I reject this story as a metaphor. A woman off her meds freaked out on public transportation.


Really? It works for me in describing why anyone might get excited about investing in high speed rail. It would also work for me to understand blaming Donald Trump for a plane crash in Toronto. If not off their meds, then perhaps the people who would support high speed rail or blame a US President for a crash in Canada should get meds.

Heartless Aztec said...

🎼🎶 Get on the bus Gus, make a new plan Stan...🎶

Leland said...

There is also a metaphor of choosing to join a group going the wrong direction and then attacking the leader of that group rather than just getting off and leading yourself along to the right direction you want to go.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Related to Al Green?

Aggie said...

Maybe she was thinking that Democracy is like a bus, and it was time to get off. Or maybe, if the bus wasn't taking her where she wanted to go, than By God nobody was going to get where they wanted to go.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

It’s hardly bait when it’s a near certainty.

But the first thing I thought of was some of the Black bus drivers down in Mobile. Fuck around on their bus and they’ll teach you to fly. Without any thought for gender or race. Great Americans in their way.

Aggie said...

Oh No.

Biff said...

In my quaint, bucolic little part of New England, our bus drivers have shatter-proof barriers in place to protect them from their patrons.

Aggie said...

I notice the bus didn't hit the employment office, next door.

Leland said...

Aggie said:
Oh No.”

Clever. Anyway…

RCOCEAN II said...

I don't know why people are upset over this. She just wanted the bus to deviate from its route and deliver her to where she wanted to go. Sorta like a big, inexpensive uber ride. And when she couldn't convince the driver, she tried physical force. Sorta like Putin.

Of course she couldn't be black...oh wait.

RCOCEAN II said...

Its good the bus didn't go further into the building. We had a case last week where an old lady hit the gas pedal instead of the brake and slammed through the window and went half-way into the starbucks. No one was hurt, but several lattes were spilt.

Rusty said...

Damn! That's my favorite Chinese restaurant!! Not really. I've never been there.
Our commenters are on fire this morning! Very funny stuff.

gilbar said...

remember that time?
when YOU f*cked up, and got on the wrong bus?
and (according to YOU), THAT was SOMEONE ELSE'S FAULT?
so you physically attacked someone?
and caused a MAJOR accident?

yeah.. i DON'T Remember doing that; Either

mccullough said...

Speed 3: The Asian House

Lazarus said...

It's almost like they deliberately picked the Asian House to crash into in order to launch the "Asian driver jokes."

Rocco said...

RCOCEAN II said...
We had a case last week where an old lady hit the gas pedal instead of the brake and slammed through the window and went half-way into the Starbucks. No one was hurt, but several lattes were spilt.

Did anyone cry over the spilt milk?

FullMoon said...

In San Francisco, they attack Asian passengers, not restaurants.

Mickey said...

I don’t mean to ask this cynically, but since you mentioned surprise over the sex of the person, would you be surprised to know the race?

Greg The Class Traitor said...

"Despite a policy to not name people accused of crimes until they’re formally charged in court, News 3 Now is naming the suspect(s) in this story because of the nature and severity of the alleged crime."

Either you've decided they're guilty and you want to punish them now, or else "the nature and severity of the alleged crime" is irrelevant

Josephbleau said...

To channel David urge, Iowahawk, if it had been rural Wisconsin the bus would have crashed into a liquor store.

Iman said...

That damn MSG… set her up!

Iman said...

In a parallel universe, she got egg rolls.

TaeJohnDo said...

We were on a train in Italy when a panicked young American went up to one of the employees in a panic: "I'm on the wrong train! I'm going the wrong way! What do I do?!?" The Italian just shrugged and said, "Get off at the next stop, cross to the other side, get on train you need."

Later, when we were leaving to get to the airport in Rome, we were dropped off at the train station - I could not find our train number on the board. I then realized there were two train stations in Naples and we were at the wrong one. I went to the lounge, explained to the clerk we were at the wrong station and could he assist? He looked up the schedule, found a train for us, issued us new tickets and sent on our way. Easy peasy. Pro trip: get a B&B close to the airport and build in time to get there incase you get on the wrong train ... it takes a lot of stress out of travel when you build in extra time in your schedule.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

I'm blogging this not merely because it's a bit surprising to see that it was a woman who (allegedly) caused the bus crash

No-one has asked yet if it was a "trans" woman, which is to say a mentally deranged man on mind altering drugs.

Something to always ask when a "woman" commits a crime

MikeD said...

I played the "guess the race" game before going to the link. Surprise, surprise I won!

Jupiter said...

I'm going to guess that she asked the driver to stop and let her off, and he refused. I wouldn't bet that way, but guessing is free.

Rabel said...

Raeven seems to be the excitable type.

Big Mike said...

Serious question I want to ask the Madison dwellers among the Althouse commentariat. Is the Madison Metro signage so bad that it’s an easy mistake to make? Or do you really have to be out of it to board the wrong bus?

mikee said...

Last time I was on a wrong direction public transit was in the 1990s in Tokyo, and it was my own fault for hurrying and not reading all the signs. I had to u-turn at the first stop, and go the other way. My earnest attention to the map and signage in the train brought help from other commuters, which was nice. Although they couldn't help smiling when I exited to go back in the correct direction. Still, I didn't even think of commandeering the train. Now had it been a bus....

Rabel said...

An excitable girl they all said.

John said...

Nice work, Rabel!

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Jupiter said...
I'm going to guess that she asked the driver to stop and let her off, and he refused. I wouldn't bet that way, but guessing is free.
That would be stupid
Bus stops tend to be across the street from each other, so you want to go to the next stop, where you can just cross teh street an mount a bus going the opposite way

A10pilot said...

I know the delivery driver that works there. He’s in his 60s and lives hand-to-mouth, barely eaking out a living. Now he has zero income, can’t find a job because he’s either too old or can’t meet other job quals because of previous work injuries. Usually his tips were minuscule, more than once just a few pennies—the Progressive college kids he often delivers to are real sweethearts—and he’s more than once had to face down thugs during his runs. Don’t know how he’s going to make it now and all because some reprobate couldn’t control her own rage.

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