Shocking footage has emerged of the moment a schoolboy was slammed to the ground by a ticket inspector, resulting in his hospitalisation.
The incident took place on September 27 at the Bluebell Lluas tram stop in Dublin, Ireland, where two ticket inspectors wearing high-vis jackets were involved in an altercation with the student.
The schoolboy appeared to be trying to grab something from one of the ticket inspectors, who was holding it out of his reach.
Watch the situation unfold below:
One of the inspectors spoke into his radio as the other stood on the tracks and blocked the student’s attempts to grab the item, but it wasn’t long before things turned physical.
As the youngster closed in, the inspector on the track appeared to throw his arm around the boy’s neck before slamming him to the ground and rolling over to hold him down.
The second inspector stepped onto the tracks to join in the brawl as he grabbed the schoolboy’s legs. The boy struggled in an attempt to get away but the two men knelt over him to hold him in place.
It’s unclear what started the altercation but the student ended up in hospital as a result of the injuries he sustained, The Sun reports.
The footage was taken by passenger Stefan Manahan, who witnessed the scene from his tram on the other side of the tracks. In the video, an onlooker can be heard saying ‘this is… this is an abusive of power now’.
Manahan shared the footage on Facebook, writing:
These fucking scumbags. Share this around and help find this lad to get him this video.
From my experience they have been getting very abusive and power tripping lately.
The passenger claimed the ticket inspectors had taken something from the student before he started filming, which may explain why the schoolboy could be seen trying to get the item from the worker.
One person said to be close to the schoolboy spoke highly of him to The Sun, saying:
I was absolutely appalled at what I saw happen to him in the clip. I know him well. He is a lovely, lovely young fella.
Tram operator Transdev launched an investigation into the altercation after the footage was shared online.
A spokesperson for the company commented:
On completion of the investigation, having reviewed all of the facts we will take any appropriate action.
Until then we have no further comment on this matter.
Hopefully the young boy will make a full and fast recovery.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to story@unilad.com
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.