SPRINGDALE -- A man was arrested Tuesday after police said he assaulted his girlfriend and her children. The vehicle he was trying to control also hit an empty school bus from behind, police said.
Matthew Brightman, 22, of 1087 Remington Drive Apt. B in Springdale was arrested in connection with aggravated assault and third-degree domestic battery, both felonies, and disorderly conduct, driving while intoxicated and refusal to submit to arrest, all misdemeanors.
Police received multiple 911 calls at 4:45 p.m. about an accident on Old Missouri Road, according to a news release. A disturbance led to the accident.
The argument started at a nearby Kum & Go when Brightman's 29-year-old girlfriend went inside and left him with her four children ages 3, 7, 9 and 11, according to the preliminary police report. He slapped the 7-year-old on the face, grabbed him by the throat and pushed his thumb into the crook of the child's neck to impede the child's airway.
Brightman and the others then left the gasoline station with the woman driving, according to the report. She pulled the van over on Old Missouri Road to kick Brightman out. He pushed her when they got out of the van, and the 11-year-old got out to stop him. At the same time, multiple vehicles pulled up behind the van and a school bus pulled in front after occupants observed the disturbance.
Brightman ordered his girlfriend and the 11-year-old back in the van, according to the report. The 11-year-old fell into the van in the process and twisted his ankle.
Brightman ordered the girlfriend to leave, and she refused, according to the report. He grabbed the steering wheel from the passenger seat, shifted the gear into drive and stomped on the gas pedal. Police said Brightman was trying to make the van do a U-turn across four lanes of traffic but hit the back of the empty bus instead.
No one was taken to the hospital in connection with the incident, said Lt. Shane Pegram of the Springdale Police Department.
When officers arrived on scene, Brightman was sitting on the ground, trying to start arguments with those around him, according to the report. He was belligerent and threatening toward police officers, firefighters and witnesses before he was arrested.
Brightman was in the Washington County Detention Center on Wednesday in lieu of $10,000 bond.
The children left with their mother, said Lt. Derek Hudson, public information officer with the Springdale Police Department.
The bus was a smaller vehicle used to transport special education students, said Dana Samples, transportation director for the Springdale School District. The driver was taking the bus back to the district's bus lot when the incident occurred.
The bus had minor damage to the back bumper on the left side, Samples said. The frame wasn't damaged, and it was on normal routes again Wednesday.
Domestic disputes are common, but it's uncommon for them to happen in a car or result in a car accident, Hudson said.
"It happens," he said. "We deal with it, but it's definitely not as common."
NW News on 09/11/2014