Father in disturbing video on JCPS school bus apologizes, regrets actions

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A father's anger and rage spilled out onboard a Jefferson County Public School bus on Friday.

The disturbing video recorded of Delvantae King onboard a JCPS bus on Friday has been making the rounds on social media.

King, the father of a student at Carter Traditional Elementary, said he was defending his daughter and doesn't apologize for that. However, he does regret the way he handled the situation.

"The only reason I got on the bus, honestly, was to get my daughter off the bus from fighting," said King.

King admits to boarding the school bus and losing his temper, but he said the video doesn't tell the whole story.

"And the reason why I got so mad and frustrated like that is because I know for a fact my child has been picked on," said King.

King's daughter is a 4th grader at Carter Traditional Elementary and says she has been getting bullied since last year. On Friday, he said things got physical and his daughter came home with tears in her eyes and a knot on her head.

"I wanted to physically see if my daughter had a knot on her head," he said.

He said his daughter told him she got the knot after some kids jumped on her.

On Tuesday, WDRB spoke to the parent of the child King's anger was directed at in the video.

"You could have come and talked to me as an adult," said Angel Clay, a parent at Carter Elementary. "Come knock on our door — go to the school."

King said he tried talking to the adults with no luck.

"My child's mother, she has reached out to her plenty of times, reached out to the school plenty of times," he said. "I've talked to a child's mother."

But despite his anger, King regrets his actions and has a message for the children on the bus and their families.

"I honestly do, like from the bottom of my heart, I do apologize. I'm sorry about the way that I acted," said King. "Now, I know, I said some wrong things to that girl. And I apologize to her mother, uncle and her, and I didn't mean it. I can't physically flip no bus. I'm no incredible Hulk."

In fact, this story could eventually have a happy ending.

"I talked to the child's mother and uncle," King said.

He said the two families are planning to meet face-to-face.

"I don't want this to go no farther than it has, you know," said King. "If anything, I want to turn this negative situation into a positive situation."

King said there has already been some dialogue between the two sides.

"We've got a meeting set up where we're going to sit down and have the kids, we got to mediate between the kids. And we're going to talk about our differences where I was wrong and where I was right," King explained. "Because I should not have been yelling at them kids like that. But I let my emotions and my anger get the best of me because I know how it feels to be bullied and picked on as a child."

The video has been shared over and over on Facebook, but King said people have the wrong impression of him.

"I'm not this monster that everybody is trying to portray me to be," he said. "I'm not that type of person at all. I am not an aggressive person."

King is not facing charges from police, but said it was still important for him to apologize and clear the air.

He hopes a peaceful resolution will set an example for others.