North Las Vegas, NV- A bus driver who worked for the Regional Transportation Commission based in Las Vegas, but was fired after allegedly attacking a passenger, spoke with Action News reporter, Steve Ryan.

Alfred Setian: once charged by the R.T.C. to drive a bus, now, charged by the D.A. for attacking an elderly woman on his bus. "

"The charges thing is more serious than losing the job," says Setian.

Very serious according to the arrest report, battery on a victim over sixty and malicious destruction of property.

Police say it started when the woman asked Setian if he knew where he was going.

Steve Ryan:  "The police report says that you yelled at her, including calling her racial slurs. Is that correct?"

Setian:  "I did, yeah. I regret that."

Steve Ryan:  "Why did you do that?"

Setian:  "I was just upset."

Setian says by the time he reached West Carey on the way to the Doolittle Community Center, he had been badgered so much, he ordered the woman off.

"We're not supposed throw passengers off our buses, and I decided that's it, I'm going to throw her off the bus, lose my job, but she refused to get off my bus," says Setian.

Steve Ryan:  "Did you ever take physical force against her? Did you ever make contact physically with her?"

Setian:  "Well yeah, I didn't hit her, but I tried to grab the phone and she nudged me, and I grabbed something. She stood up, took a swing at me, and I ducked the swing."

But, investigators say surveillance video shows that after the woman called RTC supervisors and police, he pulled her hair, punched her in the face, then threw her cellular at her, hitting her in the cheek so hard the phone broke.

Alfred says the angle of the surveillance cameras misinterpret that, and he was having "a nervous breakdown."

Steve Ryan:  "Do you think you lost control?"

Setian:  "Yeah, not to the point I was violent, just screaming, like primal scream therapy screaming."

If convicted, Setian could spend up to two decades in a state prison. 

Fortunately, the woman he's accused of attacking wasn't seriously hurt, and was taken back home by police after the incident.