MARTA bus driver arrested after video shows him hitting driver during argument

ATLANTA — A MARTA bus operator has been arrested after police say he slapped a man in front of his kids after a fender bender.

Willie Nash was booked into the Fulton County Jail early Tuesday.

On Dec. 23, Sean Harris said he and his family were driving in Midtown Atlanta when a MARTA bus hit their SUV and kept on driving.

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Harris told Channel 2′s Michael Seiden that after he tried to flag down the bus in vain, he followed the bus to the Arts Center stop.

Harris said when he confronted Nash about the collision, “He just started berating me with the words of profanity and yelling at me and calling me racial slurs.”

Harris posted a video of the encounter on YouTube that shows him asking Nash to speak with a supervisor and then shows Nash slap the cellphone out of Harris’ hand.

Moments later, the video shows Nash hit Harris in the head.

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On Friday, a spokesperson with MARTA sent Channel 2 Action News the following statement regarding the incident:

“On Saturday, Dec. 23, a bus and car were involved in a minor accident near Arts Center Station and both drivers got out of their vehicles and the incident escalated. The bus operator has been relieved of duty pending a disciplinary investigation. While Atlanta Police is handling the case as a traffic-related incident, MARTA Police’s Criminal Investigations Unit has also opened an investigation. MARTA does not condone this type of behavior from employees and requires operators to undergo recurring de-escalation training to defuse these types of situations.”

Nash faces charges of simple battery, aggravated assault, and first degree criminal damage to property.

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