Video shows alleged assault on woman who filmed bus apparently going through red traffic light in Waterloo, central London

A woman was allegedly throttled to the ground by the driver of a London tour bus she had filmed apparently running a red light.

A video of the incident showed shocked passersby rushing to the woman’s aid during the attack in Waterloo, London.

Witnesses said the driver targeted the 27-year-old victim, a graduate at King’s College London, after she appeared to film the Golden Tours vehicle driving through a red light.

The driver, a woman in her 30s, left the empty blue double-decker in the middle of Stamford Street with the engine still running.

In video footage obtained by the Evening Standard, the victim can be heard screaming: “Let go of me, you need to let go of me,” as she appears to be grabbed by the throat.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The pedestrian was filmed on the ground after the alleged assault. Photograph: Evening Standard

The driver can be heard saying: “You took my picture! Delete my picture,” as she continues to wrestle a handbag off the woman.

Drivers sounded their horns and cyclists were forced to swerve as the two women grappled in the street, before the driver dragged the pedestrian to the roadside, where she collapsed.

She appeared to lose consciousness briefly as she slumped onto the pavement by a row of hire-bikes, clutching her neck. The driver then turned angrily to a crowd of passersby who had gathered.

One witness wearing a backpack asked her: “What are you doing? Aren’t you supposed to be driving that bus … and you’ve done this?”

The driver, who was contracted to Golden Tours by an agency, later boarded the bus and pulled away in the direction of the British Film Institute.

Police said they were looking into an allegation of assault at 5.55pm on Tuesday. The driver’s contract with the tour company has since been terminated.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Passersby remonstrate with the driver of the tour bus. Photograph: Evening Standard

One witness told the Standard: “The bus driver had apparently run a red light and the pedestrian filmed it on her phone.

“The next moment the bus driver pulled up and left the bus in the middle of the road and stopped the traffic.

“She assaulted the pedestrian, grabbed her and dragged her onto the pavement. The driver was stood over her like Muhammad Ali and started arguing with the people who came to help.”

Witnesses said the woman was in shock after the incident and was crying for about 10 minutes.

In a statement on Friday the Metropolitan police said it was investigating an allegation of assault.

“A 27-year-old woman reported to police that she had been assaulted by the driver of a tour bus. No arrests were made and enquires continue.”

Golden Tours run a fleet of blue open-topped double-decker buses that run daily sightseeing tours through central London and the West End.



The company advertises its 10-hour “Total London” experience for £99 a person, including a ride on the London Eye.

Andrew Bassom, the transport manager at Golden Tours, said: “We are absolutely distressed by this situation.” He said the company’s drivers were rigorously tested and that the agency providing them usually ensured their criminal records were checked and that they had the correct licences.

“This particular driver had been with us for three months and there were no problems, so we’re absolutely gobsmacked,” he said.

The tour bus was new and fitted with CCTV cameras, Bassom said. “The footage from the bus starts a lot earlier than the footage of the passersby, so a lot more information has been given to the police.”