JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A bus driver was viciously assaulted overnight while operating a Superbus route in Jerusalem, leaving him unconscious for several minutes and with four broken teeth, according to the public transportation workers’ union Koach LaOvdim.

The attack occurred on Route 2 in the Ramot neighborhood while the bus was stopped at a red light at the Eshkol-Ramot intersection. According to the union, a group of teenagers began striking the outside of the bus. When the driver opened his window, the assailants punched him repeatedly.

The driver, identified only by the initial M., lost consciousness for several minutes before regaining awareness. He later contacted police and was taken to a hospital for medical treatment.

“I had just started my shift,” the driver said in a statement released by the union. “I heard loud banging on the side of the bus. I opened the window, and suddenly I was being brutally beaten. I was unconscious for about two minutes. When I came to, I could feel blood in my mouth. There were curses, shouting and faces full of hatred all around me. I don’t know why. I had only just started my shift.”

He said he managed to drive through the intersection despite feeling disoriented before safely stopping the bus.

“I don’t want to think about what could have happened if there had been passengers on board,” he said.

Itay Cohen, head of the transportation division at Koach LaOvdim, condemned the attack and called for increased security on Jerusalem’s buses.

“Another line has been crossed in the violence against public transportation workers, and only the driver’s quick thinking prevented a disaster,” Cohen said. “What would have happened if, after this attempted lynching, he had crashed into another vehicle? We appreciate the work of Jerusalem’s mobile security unit, but it is unacceptable that only three mobile security officers are responsible for addressing violence on the city’s buses.”

The union also called on Superbus to promptly provide security camera footage of the assault to police.

Superbus condemned the attack, saying it “views the assault with the utmost severity and strongly condemns any act of violence against public transportation employees.”

The company said it is fully cooperating with Israeli police and other law enforcement authorities to identify and arrest the suspects, and that it is providing ongoing support to the injured driver and his family while continuing efforts to ensure the safety of its drivers and passengers.