Surveillance video caught the moments a father boarded a Missouri school bus and instructed his young daughter to repeatedly hit another little girl, whom he claimed had allegedly bullied his daughter.
Maurice Fox, 36, is now facing charges of first-degree harassment, trespassing on a bus, and two counts of fourth-degree assault — one connected to the child victim and the other to the 64-year-old bus driver.
According to local news outlets citing police reports, the incident took place the morning of Oct. 9 when Fox escorted his 6-year-old daughter onto her school bus. He allegedly pushed past the bus driver after the driver ordered him to get off.
Surveillance footage shows Fox walking down the bus aisle and chastising a 7-year-old girl for allegedly hitting his daughter.
“Don’t put your hands on my daughter no more. You hear me?” Fox tells the little girl. “Hey, look at me. Don’t you dare touch my daughter no more because if I find out you touching her again, your parents gonna have to talk to me.”
Then the father addresses his daughter, alluding to something he told her to do earlier.
“Do what I told you to do,” Fox orders his child, prompting the girl to start punching the 7-year-old in the head multiple times.
After his daughter stops, Fox says, “Again,” and the child releases another barrage of punches.
“I want her crying. Again,” Fox orders.
The child throws another round of punches.
She stops when Fox finally tells her, “C’mon, let’s go,” and they both exit the bus.
Fox, while still at large, reportedly released a statement online. “This wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the only thing that finally stopped the other child from continuing to hurt her…I felt I had no other choice as a parent; my only intenion was to protect my child and empower her in a world that hasn’t protected her,” in a statement obtained by KSDK.
Local authorities and school district officials released statements about the attack.
“This incident is disturbing and completely unacceptable,” said Ferguson Police Chief Troy Doyle, per WMOV. “We have made several attempts to contact the parent, but he has avoided all efforts to speak with our detectives.”
Doyle added that Fox created a GoFundMe account seeking donations for his legal defense. The fundraiser has since been deleted from the website.
“You cannot crowdsource accountability. We urge him to contact the Ferguson Police Department immediately or come in and speak with our investigators to give his account of the incident,” Doyle said.
In a statement, the Ferguson-Florissant School District said it is cooperating with law enforcement and described the incident as “completely unacceptable.”
“We are aware of an incident involving a parent boarding a school bus without permission. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement as they address this matter. Student and staff safety is always our top priority, and we will not tolerate anything that compromises their safety. School buses are an extension of the school campus. Trespassing on a school bus and engaging in the behavior described in this incident are completely unacceptable.”
After news and footage of the attack spread online, many people expressed shock about the unsettling nature of the attack. Some people thought Fox went too far, but sided with his desire to defend his daughter.
“This is disturbing,” one Instagram user commented.
“Disgusting adult behavior!” another person wrote.
“Man listen he was wrong but he was tired of that girl putting her hands in his child! Teach yall kids to stop being bullies!” another comment read.
As of this writing, police have yet to locate and arrest Fox.
