Bus Operator Assailant Gets 9 Years

Geovanny Falcon, the man accused of assault on a MTA bus operator in November 2014, has been sentenced to 9 years in state prison.

Geovanny Falcon was arrested on November 27, 2014 for the brutal assault of MTA Bus Operator and Local 1565 Member Deborah Carroll.  The assault occurred on the night of November 17, 2014 and was caught on an internal security camera that allowed law enforcement to identify Mr. Falcon.  Ten days later, an acquaintance of Falcon's notified law enforcement of his whereabouts and he was arrested later that morning.

Follow the link to read the initial report.

http://local.nixle.com/alert/5312676/

Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Dickinson notified the General Committee this week of the final result of the case.  Mr. Falcon plead guilty to the battery of a bus operator and received 5 years.  At the time of his arrest, Falcon was on probation for three other crimes which in part lead to the length of the process.  All together Geovanny Falcon was sentenced to 9 year in California State Prison.

"I was very happy to hear the news", said General Chairman Marco Gudino.  "Its great to know this guy will be off the streets for a long time."

After receiving the news from the Assistant District Attorney, General Chairman Gudino called Deborah Carroll to give her the good news.  Carroll was contacted by the DA's office a few months ago and notified that this would be the eventual outcome, but she was happy and relieved to hear that justice has finally been served.

In response to this assault, the LACMTA has pushed ahead with a number of safety initiatives.  First is the new 2 part protective barrier system many operators may already be seeing.  Expedited procurement of this safety enhancement has been approved and operators will start to see more of them on their buses in the near future.  The MTA Board is also reviewing their policing procedures and contracts. The General Committee has endorsed a plan that would increase the police authority of the Transit Security Officers so that there can be a greater security presence throughout the system.  Finally SMART TD is following legislation in Sacramento that would increase the penalty for assaults on public transportation workers.