Man accused of punching Port Authority bus driver turns self in
A man facing charges for punching a Port Authority of Allegheny County bus driver told police he did so because the doors to the bus closed on him and it triggered his anger, according to a criminal complaint filed against the man.
Richard David Hickman, 36, turned himself into authorities Tuesday morning at Pittsburgh police’s Zone 5 station in Highland Park.
He did so after seeing his picture on television because he was sought by authorities for allegedly punching the bus driver. Pittsburgh police transported him to Port Authority police where he confessed, according to a criminal complaint.
Hickman told police he suffers from PTSD, anger management, anxiety and other mental health ailments. After hitting the driver while getting off the bus on Liberty Avenue in Downtown, Hickman ran to a friend’s house, according to the complaint..
He turned himself in after seeing media coverage of the incident.
“I know what I did was wrong,” he allegedly told police, according to the complaint.
Hickman is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment by Port Authority police.
The driver is recovering, Brandolph said.
Tom Davidson is a TribLive news editor. He has been a journalist in Western Pennsylvania for more than 25 years. He can be reached at tdavidson@triblive.com.
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