Video captures chaos as Richardson ISD bus driver is attacked
DALLAS - Danny Senkow finds peace in handcrafting violins.
It’s a hobby the school bus driver picked up from his father.
"When I go back there and work on wood… you save a lot of money from going to a head shrink," he said. "It’s therapy."
It’s an escape that became even more important after a harrowing day on the job in the Richardson Independent School District on Feb. 1.
The ordeal started on Skillman Street just north of Interstate 635 in Dallas. Senkow said the kids were in the aisles having arguments with each other while the bus was in motion.
"It was total chaos. That’s why I had to pull over because I couldn’t legally drive anymore. They were in the aisle, screaming, out of control, you know, being children," he said.
Senkow pulled over to call dispatch and was told to wait for the police. But soon after pulling over, a man started pounding on the door.
"I didn’t know who he was. I’m not going to let him on board with children on board," the bus driver said.
Senkow decided to pull forward a few yards to one of his regular stops.
"The person that was bagging on my door obviously followed me on foot to that area. And this time, he didn’t bang on the door. He actually grabbed the door and pulled it apart, which I didn’t know you could do," he said.
FOX 4 obtained video of the incident through an open records request with the Dallas Police Department.
"Get off my bus. Get off my bus," the driver is heard yelling in the video.
"He didn’t say a word. He came on board, began fighting with me. And I had two seconds to react," Senkow said. "What was going in my mind was defend everybody on board the bus, protect everybody."
Senkow said he tried to push the suspect out with his left leg and foot, which was a mistake.
"He grabbed onto my left ankle and pulled me down the stairs out onto the sidewalk," he said.
He suffered extensive bruising to his leg.
Meanwhile, the terrified children who witnessed the assault can be heard screaming and crying in the video.
Senkow managed to get back on the bus.
Corvonta Brooks
The suspect, 29-year-old Corvonta Brooks, left with one or two children who were likely related to him.
When he returned a few minutes later, Senkow took a clear picture of him.
Seven months later, that photo helped police identify Brooks on social media.
Man arrested for attacking Richardson ISD bus driver: police
The assault happened on Skillman Street more than seven months ago, but police were recently able to identify the alleged attacker through social media.
"Anybody who could do that to a bus driver in front of children should not be walking around," Senkow said.
Brooks remains in the Dallas County jail charged with injury to an elderly person. His bond was set at $150,000.
Police said he was on probation at the time of the assault for another assault with a deadly weapon.
He will have a court hearing on the felony assault case, as well as his probation violations, in January.
Senkow is still a bus driver but now works for a different school district.