Maryland Transit Worker Killed in Attack

Safety at Work

Baltimore, MD (WorkersCompensation.com) – A 71-year-old Maryland transit worker died after he was attacked during a parking dispute.

Gregory Turnipseed died on Nov. 26 after being attacked by a teenager and her mother because of a parking spot. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in a press release that the transit worker “suffered significant injuries as a result of a physical assault” that happened on Oct. 17.

Turnipseed was working for the city’s Department of Transportation when he noticed a parking dispute. According to charging documents, he tried to intervene when he noticed that a car was waiting for a black Chevrolet SUV to pull out of a parking spot. Turnipseed approached the car to tell them that another car was waiting.

At that point, a teenage girl, who was reported to be around 15, exited the vehicle on the passenger’s side of the SUV and started hitting Turnipseed in the head. The driver of the car, reportedly the teen's mother, then got out of the car and joined her daughter in the attack.

"The driver then kicked him in the head multiple times, breaking his glasses, and resulting in abrasions and swelling to his head/face area," police said in a press release.

The driver has since been identified at Kianna Bonaparte, 49. The teen was not identified because of her age.

The worker received medical attention at the scene but was later admitted to the hospital for a brain bleed. According to WBAL, his condition worsened during recovery, and he succumbed to his injuries the day before Thanksgiving.

However, before he died, the worker was provided an array of photos of potential suspects, and he was able to identify Bonaparte as one of his attackers.

Since then, Bonaparte has been charged with assault. Police said they will upgrade the charges if they are warranted, following further investigation. It is not clear if the teenager has been arrested.

Turnipseed’s family members have spoken out about the incident.

"I've been robbed of my father," Lacheryl Turnipseed-White told WBFF. She said the suspects "could have just drove off and went their way … and let him go his way."

The teen, Turnipseed-White said, "even wanted to assault an elder or someone that wasn't even doing anything to her. Just minding his own business basically. All he was truly doing was his job."

Baltimore city officials praised the 14-year transportation worker for his dedication to the city.

"Mr. Turnipseed was an exemplary public servant, a 14-year veteran of BCDOT working in the Traffic Division," the joint statement from the mayor's office said. "He served Baltimore with dignity and integrity, and we will forever be grateful for his dedication to our city. We will continue wrapping our arms around his family and loved ones, holding them close in our hearts and prayers."

Officials with the City Union of Baltimore, which represents the city’s workers, said they were concerned that they were not immediately alerted after Turnipseed was attacked on the job. The union is calling for better protections for city employees.

"As president of a union, to get the call after the fact is unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable," City Union of Baltimore president Antoinette Ryan-Johnson said. "I was extremely disheartened, and I was disheartened because I was notified on the day of his death. I didn't even know that the incident had happened."

Ryan-Johnson said she did not learn about the Oct. 17 attack until after Turnipseed had died.

"It is extremely shocking. It's shocking, disheartening, upsetting," Ryan-Johnson said. "At the end of the day, he was my member. He belonged to this union. But he was somebody's personal family member. They now don't have a father to come home. He should have been able to come home at the end of the day and spend Thanksgiving with them, but that will no longer happen,” Ryan-Johnson said "So, yes, I'm angry. I'm very angry. We should have been notified."

The union is calling on the city to conduct an independent, transparent investigation into what happened and to work with the union to develop better safety protocols.

"My traffic enforcement officers in the Department of Transportation have been assaulted, have had liquids thrown on them, gun drawn on them, things of that magnitude," Ryan-Johnson told WJZ. "This is absolutely unacceptable at this point. Absolutely unacceptable. And if somebody downtown does not understand that something has to be done, we can't keep losing employees and members like this. It's tragic."

Workers for the city deserve better safety policies and to have a safe workplace to come to.

"The city has to ensure, as the employer, that their workers are safe when they come to work," Ryan-Johnson said. 

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