Prince George’s County, Maryland — Prince George’s County Police Detectives arrested a man for physically assaulting a 7-year-old boy on a school bus on Thursday, June 7th. The suspect is 22-year-old DeQuan Brooks of the 9100 block of Cherry Lane in Laurel.
On the evening of Friday, June 8th, Prince George’s County Public School Security provided officers with video of Brooks, a bus aide, on a school bus with students en route to the Foundation School in Largo. Brooks is seen on in-bus surveillance video sitting in a seat next to a 7 year-old boy when he grabs the child and shoves him into several seats while he assaults the child about the head and neck. Police launched an investigation upon reviewing the videotaped assault. Within 24 hours of the investigation, Brooks was taken into custody and charged with Child Abuse and 2nd Degree Assault.
Police say the investigation reveals the incident on the bus occurred around 8:26 am on Thursday, June 6th. At approximately 8:45am, bus transportation officials called 911 with a report of a disorderly student on the bus. PGPD patrol officers responded to the bus where it had stopped at Annapolis and Bell Station roads. Once on scene, officers were advised by the three adults on the bus that a student had been acting out and had attempted to throw Brooks’ cellphone out of a window. Officers found no evidence to support the allegation against the student. Officers were never informed that a student had been physically assaulted by Brooks. It wasn’t until the following evening on Friday, June 8th, when school security provided the surveillance video that police learned about the assault and launched this investigation. Officers made contact with the victim and his parent who had been told earlier that their child had acted up on the bus ride to school Thursday morning. Offciers advised the parent of the investigation that their child had been assaulted and advised that the child be seen by a doctor. The child did have bruising on his neck.
Brooks is currently in custody at the Department of Corrections and is being held without bond.
