Officials in Homestead have arrested a bus driver after he reportedly attacked a passenger with a metal rod when the passenger took off his face mask while on the bus.

The incident occurred on Wednesday at a bus stop in Key Largo just after 7:00 pm.

Deputies with the Monroe County Sheriff’s office said the victim told them he initially entered the bus wearing the required protective gear, however, he removed his face mask to take a phone call and did not put it back on. The victim says when he stop arrived, he exited the bus and that’s when the bus driver Denys Santos, used a metal rod to point at a sign about face mask requirements.

At that point, Santos and the victim got into an argument. The victim then exited the bus but Santos followed him and took a swing at the victim with the metal rod.

Santos then got back on the bus and drove off but pulled over a short while where he was arrested.

Santos is now facing aggravated assault charges.

The Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works  has since released the following statement about the incident:

“The safety of our staff and passengers is always our number one priority and we take this type of incident very seriously. For this reason, we have asked Safeguard America Transportation, the private transportation company that runs our bus route from Miami-Dade to Monroe County, to remove Mr. Denys Santos from the contract while this incident is under investigation.”

“We do not condone the alleged actions by Santos, and we will continue to work closely with our contractors to ensure they are implementing the highest safety and operational standards while under contract for Miami-Dade County.”