An Illinois bus driver for Orland School District 135 is being accused of hitting a 4-year-old child with special needs in the face Friday, the Chicago Tribune reports.
According to the report, a teacher heard the driver, Linda Bell, telling the victim, "I'm sorry for hitting you," as the child was being helped off the bus at school. The name of the school was not given in the press release about the incident by the Orland Park police.
Bell, 63, was charged with one count of felony aggravated battery to a child, and she appeared in Cook County bond court over the weekend.
Police say that the teacher who helped the child off the bus noticed that the student was crying. The teacher also saw red marks on the student's cheek. At that point, the school principal and the district officer were notified about the incident before the authorities were brought on the scene.
Video from the bus company, Sunrise Southwest, appears to have captured the incident, showing Bell raising her arm and hitting the victim once in the face, police said. Audio recording from inside the bus also picked up the sound of the strike and the victim beginning to cry.
Read more at the Chicago Tribune.