On Saturday night, Daron Clay was heading home when a man onboard his bus started arguing over a bus transfer.
"I seen him pull the knife out of his pocket I had to fight for my life," Clay told Kansas City-based KSHB in an exclusive interview.
Clay said he was worried about the mother and her two children across from them.
"I didn't want her to get hurt I didn't want the kids to get hurt, I knew that I was going to get stabbed but you know I had to fight for my life," said Clay.
The 21-year-old man pushed the knife-wielding man toward the front of the bus. As the driver slams the brakes, the suspect goes right through the windshield.
Surveillance video showed the knife in the suspect's right hand.
He allegedly used it to stab Clay once before the driver opens the doors.
"This never happened before anytime on the bus," Clay said.
We showed the video that KSHB first obtained to Kansas City Area Transportation Authority riders. It disgusted some of them.
"To act like and be like that in order to commit violence for some type of interactions like that to me is pure ignorance and purely disrespectful," Sean Cannon, a KCATA rider said.
The Kansas City Police Department said Monday they've arrested the suspect as Clay recovers from his stab wound.
He said he doesn't regret what he did to protect himself and others onboard that bus.
"If it seems like it's getting out hand just back off some things you can't get yourself out of but just make sure you be safe about it," Clay said.
Clay said doctors told him he's making a speedy recovery — better than what they expected.
Meanwhile, charges in this case are pending.
The KCATA sent the following statement to KSHB:
It's important to keep incidents like this in perspective. There were 15 million trips safely made last year in Kansas City. While once is too often, thankfully, this type of behavior is rare on public transit.
