Christopher Jones
MILWAUKEE - A 38-year-old man is accused of attacking two different Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) bus drivers early on Friday, Dec. 26. The accused is Christopher Jones – and he faces the following criminal counts:
- Battery to public transit operator (2 counts)
- Battery to an elder person-intentionally cause bodily harm
Bus drivers attacked
What we know:
According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police were dispatched shortly before 5 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 26 to a call from a bus driver who was stopped near 12th and Vliet. The driver reported that a passenger "became violent with her" while she was headed east on Highland. The driver "said that the passenger exchanged words with her and then suddenly began punching her," the complaint says. The court filing goes on to say the passenger pulled off one of the bus driver's shoes and "threw it at her, took off his own shoe and threw that at her, and spit in her face." The man then retrieved his shoe and exited the bus.
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That same morning, officers responded to a 911 call from a different bus driver stopped near 12th and Vliet. The 62-year-old driver said she let a passenger on near 12th and State and he "began behaving as if intoxicated and eventually the passenger reached over her partition and swing at her. He then picked up a small waste basket and struck at her with it multiple times," the complaint says. The man then left the bus.
A short while later, officers found a man in the lobby of Sinai Hospital (12th and Highland) matching the descriptions provided by both bus drivers. The man was arrested and taken to a police station.
A detective reviewed surveillance video from the second bus incident. He was "able to identify the defendant as the assailant shown on the bus video," the complaint says.
Bus driver safety
What they're saying:
A MCTS spokesperson offered the following statement on Monday, Dec. 29:
"At MCTS, the safety of our employees and riders is our highest priority. We do not tolerate violent acts on our buses or anywhere in our system. Early morning on December 26, 2025, there were multiple unprovoked operator assaults involving the same suspect. Milwaukee Police Department responded to these incidents and arrested the individual involved.
"At 4:47 a.m., a bus operator was assaulted along the BlueLine near 12th Street and Highland Avenue. At 4:54 a.m., another bus operator was assaulted near 12th Street and State.
"We have been in contact with our bus operators to check on their well-being and have offered support and resources, including the Employee Assistance Program.
"Incidents such as these underscore the need to further protect our operators. With the additional funds provided by Milwaukee County, our Public Safety Officers can provide more targeted support on buses in 2026, in addition to their existing patrols and response activities. This holistic approach to safety will serve the operators and community more comprehensively and help address ongoing concerns more effectively.
"In addition, MCTS is actively working with vendors to test larger and more enhanced operator safety barriers on our buses, which offer further protection from assaults.
"These incidents remain under investigation. We refer all media inquiries to the Milwaukee Police Department."
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Court appearance
What's next:
Jones was scheduled to make his initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Monday, Dec. 29.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access and the criminal complaint associated with this case.