Bus driver attacked with hammer says AC Transit ignored pleas for help

Oakland bus driver shares near-death experience

An AC Transit bus driver hit over the head with a hammer talks about his trauma and the ongoing struggle with a passenger. That passenger then pulled the trigger of a pistol on the driver, but the gun did not go off.

OAKLAND, Calif. - An AC Transit bus driver who was attacked by the same woman three times said the agency did nothing to prevent it from happening again.

Speaking exclusively to KTVU, Antoine Nolen says Sharee Hall hit him over the head with a hammer on Sunday at a bus stop near the Coliseum BART station in East Oakland.

It was all captured by bus cameras.

"All of a sudden I just felt a big impact, a big bang on the back of my heard," Nolen said. "I just knew I had to fight for my life. Nobody helped me in that video. Everybody stood over me."

Nolen is seen defending himself by punching the suspect and holding her down for several minutes.

A fellow driver is heard in surveillance video calling for help before Nolen got off the woman.

"I just wanted to get away," he said. "I thought it was over and that was just the beginning. I turned around to her pointing the gun and squeezing the trigger."

But the gun never fired and deputies arrested the 45-year-old Hall who was later charged with a long list of felony crimes.

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office recovered a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol, a hammer, pepper spray and pocket knife.

Nolen said this is the third time Hall’s been violent or attacked him in three months, but that he’s been stalked by Hall since 2020.

"This could have been prevented," he said. "I could be dead right now. That’s all I keep thinking about."

Sources tell KTVU there are other drivers who have been threatened or assaulted by Hall in the past.

Records show several alleged incidents involving Hall targeting AC Transit operators and passengers dating back to 2019.

Nolen said he followed protocol including writing memos about encounters, informing managers of threats and asking AC Transit to change his route.

"I requested a meeting with my managers about this issue numerous times," he said. "I sat down with them numerous times and they just turned their backs."

He claims managers told him to keep working or quit his job.

AC Transit would not provide and on-camera interview but issued a lengthy statement that said in part, "AC Transit’s legal team is working with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and the Sheriff’s Department to obtain a stay-away order for the totality of our bus lines and facilities, and to ensure the suspect is prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

Nolen said since Sunday’s attack, he had not heard from his employer until Thursday morning. They called to check on him and offer their condolences, he said.

"I’m just upset because I tried. I warned them," Nolan said. "I knew this was going to happen. I knew it."

Brooks Jarosz is an investigative reporter for KTVU. Email him at brooks.jarosz@fox.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter @BrooksKTVU