Brick thrown at Whitelaws bus in Hamilton

Jun 16 2011 by Shirley Bartynek, Hamilton Advertiser

A YOUNG thug threw a brick at a bus travelling to a Lanarkshire hospital last Friday afternoon narrowly missing a disabled passenger.

The incident took place at around lunchtime after the Whitelaws 254 bus, which was en route from Stonehouse to Hairmyres Hospital, left Brandon Street Bus Station.

The bus at the time of the attack was said to be passing a stream of pupils from Hamilton Grammar School who were making their way into the town centre for their lunch.

Passengers said they heard a loud explosion which was quickly followed by one of the windows shattering into tiny pieces.

One passenger said: “There was a crash and the window shattered into a mosaic of hundreds of pieces.”

No-one was injured during the attack, however a disabled man sitting beside the damaged window was badly shaken.

An elderly woman on the opposite side of the bus was in a state of confusion and shock after being hit by flying glass.

Another passenger said: “Immediately after the attack, another passenger, a young man, sitting at the back of the bus, heard shouting ‘that was a brick’ and later told the bus driver he had seen one of the pupils, describing a young boy with short dark hair, throw the missile at the bus.

“The bus did not continue its journey. After ensuring no one was injured the driver called for a replacementbus and informed the angry passengers that with onboard CCTV, it was likely the perpetrator would be identified.”

A spokesman for Whitelaws Coaches said: “The matter is under investigation and we are unable to comment at this stage.

“A police incident number has been issued and the investigation is ongoing. Any further information we have will be shared with the police.”

A spokesman for South Lanarkshire Council said: “The school are not aware of this incident.”

Hamilton police were this week awaiting a detailed report on the incident.