Cops: Driver adjusts mirrors and roughs up McGruff

[March 04, 2009]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- A bus driver thought it would be funny to take the bite out of McGruff the crime dog by punching the mascot, but police said children who witnessed the stunt were horrified.

Metro bus driver Shawn Brim, 38, climbed off a bus, adjusted his side view mirrors and then punched officer Tyrone Hardy, who was handing fliers to children on a Washington street while dressed as the crime dog, police said. After the punch, Brim got back on the bus and drove away, but was quickly pulled over Saturday.

Hardy had a swollen right cheek, but seemed more concerned the attack upset the kids, police said.

Brim later told a supervisor he was trying to be funny when he punched McGruff, who urges kids to "take a bite out of crime."

"But nobody here finds it funny, believe me," Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith said. "That kind of behavior is not tolerated."

Brim was charged with simple assault. He will also undergo drug and alcohol testing and his future with the agency is under review, Smith said.

There was no telephone listing for Brim and Smith said she didn't know whether he had an attorney.

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Information from: The Washington Examiner, http://www.dcexaminer.com/

[Associated Press]

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