Man accused in attack on bus driver has criminal history, records show

A father is accused of beating up his daughter’s school bus driver because she wasn’t on the route’s list, according to an arrest report released Wednesday.

Otis Tanner, 46, was arrested Friday and charged with burglary of a vehicle, battery on a protected person and threat of death or bodily harm to a public school employee.

Video from the bus and witness statements showed Tanner get on the bus at 6:30 a.m. Thursday at Tonopah and Vegas drives and refused to leave after the driver told him multiple times to leave, the report stated.

The driver told police Tanner continued to say “make me” before he struck the driver with a closed fist and kicked him onto the ground, according to the arrest report.

The driver said he found a tire iron on the bus and threatened Tanner with it. Tanner warned the driver he “will be watching for him,” according to the report.

The bus driver said he told Tanner’s daughter on Aug. 17 that she could not take the bus home because she wasn’t on the list.

Tanner told police he felt he was assaulted when the bus driver grabbed his arm and asked him to get off the bus.

In 1997, Tanner pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit battery with a deadly weapon, and in 1998 he was found guilty of attempted murder with a deadly weapon.

Twenty years later, he was charged with sex trafficking of an adult, battery by strangulation, battery with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and four counts of sex assault, but the case was dismissed.

He posted bail Tuesday and is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing Sept. 27.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.