School Bus Beating at Belleville West High School (VIDEO)

A student attending Belleville West High School in St. Louis was beaten on a school bus on the way to the high school on Monday, according to local reports.

A police spokesperson initially said that the beating could be racially motivated but later rescinded that statement.

“It was premature on my part,” said Belleville Police Capt. Don Sax. “It was my personal and emotional comment after only seeing the video briefly.”

“After having reviewed the video, it doesn’t strike me nearly as racially motivated,” Sax said.

The 17-year-old victim was white while the assailants were black. Police released a surveillance footage of the beating, which shows the student being struck repeatedly while other students on the bus look on, some cheering the beating on. It doesn’t seems that the victim did anything to provoke the attack. Preliminary reports indicate that the beating took place within a five-minute span.

The victim was looking for a seat on the school bus when two students said he couldn’t sit next to them, police said.

As he approached a seat, someone yelled, “Beat his ass.”

When he did sit down, one teen tried to push him out of his seat then began grabbing the victim’s neck and punching him in the face.

Things eventually settled down, but a second student began punching him again a few minutes later.

The glaring question here is, what was the bus driver doing?  Isn’t it his or her responsibility to keep these kids safe?

Heads are likely going to roll for this one.  You can view video of the beating below, although it is somewhat disturbing…

Belleville West High School Bus Beating Video