Centro bus driver Rasheed Mohammed was driving under the influence of alcohol.
/ Alex Resila
SYRACUSE -- A Centro bus driver was arrested and charged with DWI after the bus he was driving rear-ended a car on South Salina Street at 3:45pm on February 26, according to Sergeant Gary Bulinski with Syracuse Police.
Bulinski says that the driver, 27-year-old Rasheed Mohammed, rear-ended a Hyundai, pushing it into a Buick that was stopped at a light in the middle of the 400 block of South Salina Street.
Paul Correia witnessed the accident. "What I seen is the bus hit the back of the guys car and after that the police came and they took care of it," says Correia.
"Three of the people that were within that lead vehicle, the Buick, they complained of neck and back pain and they were taken to Upstate hospital as a precautionary measure," says Bulinski. The three people in the Buick were taken to the hospital with complaints of back and neck pain. The driver of the Hyundai complained of knee pain, but refused treatment.
Police say Mohammed was taken to Upstate Hospital for post-accident testing per the Department of Transportation regulations.
Steven Koegel is the Director of Marketing and Communications with Centro. "In the cases where there are accidents involved, our drivers are subject to mandatory drug and alcohol testing," says Koegel.
This is the third step in the company's screening process. Anyone who wants employment needs to pass a drug and alcohol test. Throughout their time with Centro, all employees are also subject to a random drug and alcohol test.
Koegel says that Mohammed has been removed from duty, stating that its alcohol policy was violated. Police say that the post-accident testing resulted in Mohammed testing positive for alcohol.
Centro then turned the investigation over to police, which resulted in Mohammed being charged with DWI and following too closely.
Mohammed was released on traffic tickets and is due back in city traffic court at a later date.
