Tobolsk family recounts acid burns and meme fame

The internet continues to discuss the story of the family from Tobolsk that became a meme. Recall that it involves a boy who shouted: “Mom, call a taxi!”. Later it turned out that the child had this reaction after an incident on public transport. His mother assaulted the driver of one bus, then moved with her son to another. And then the boy had a hysterical fit.

When the video spread across the internet, entrepreneurs started making advertisements with the child and the phrase: “Mom, call a taxi!”. The boy’s sister told federal Telegram channels that her brother has special needs and the family intends to sue everyone who uses his image. She also complained about the bullying of her brother in the comments and explained: that day, the mother was trying to calm her son and did not have time to pay the fare.

We tell what the driver and the boy’s mother say, and how this story ended.

“He just covered his ears, screamed, cried, and asked his mom to calm down.” The bus driver’s version

Larisa — the bus driver — has been working in this position for three years. On the day when Yekaterina and her son boarded the bus, there was no conductor on the route.

— This woman entered the bus, threw her bags on the seat. She rudely replied that she would pay now. Started looking for her card in her bag. She began with swearing: “Drive away from here! I’m sick of you!”. I told her that I couldn’t drive until she paid. She found the card, came up, paid, snatched the tickets from my hands. When I was giving out the tickets, I said to her: “Next time, please prepare for payment in advance,” — says Larisa.

The woman recalls that Yekaterina went into the bus and sat in her seat. The bus started moving, she began shouting insults at the driver and the company. When passengers started making remarks, Larisa herself asked her to stop swearing.

— I asked: “Miss, please stop swearing. If you don’t stop behaving like this, I will have to contact the guardianship authorities. You have a child with you.” In response, the woman said: “I’ll kill you right now!”, — explained the driver.

After these words, Yekaterina approached Larisa and started beating her. At this time, the driver claims, the boy “just covered his ears, screamed, cried, and asked his mom to calm down”.

— When I was in motion, she grabbed my hair, snatched the phone from my hands. Started beating, knocked the lens out of my eye. She beat fiercely, without stopping. I just covered my face with my hands. I emphasize that the boy behaved well — he didn’t run or shout, — says the driver.

Larisa’s management called an ambulance and the police. The driver drove to the nearest stop.

— At this time, the woman and child came to the stop. Grandmothers started shouting: “Close the doors. She will beat you now.” I closed the doors. Then another bus arrived, and the woman approached it. The management, waiting for the police, stopped the movement. And she started a scandal, saying they were kicking her out. And at that moment, the boy started shouting: “Mom, call a taxi!”, — says Larisa and specifies that the boy did not run around the bus.

Larisa says that the police twice refused to initiate a case, and she wrote to the prosecutor’s office. As a result, a criminal case was opened under the article “Battery”.

— I emphasized that she should be punished for “Hooliganism on transport”, because people could have been harmed. But that wasn’t done, — specified Larisa.

Larisa adds that she was on sick leave for two months. First, she recovered from injuries, then — treated the consequences. Due to stress, she started having vision problems.

“I insulted and beat. And I will do it again”

We tried to contact Yekaterina and asked her to comment on the situation.

— My son and I had to treat acid burns that passengers poured on us. Of course, I insulted and beat, and I will do it again if anyone else dares to attack my child. No comments from this minute. I’m in shock, — explained Yekaterina and stopped responding.

The boy’s cousin in an interview with Ural Mash said that the family has filed a lawsuit against all entrepreneurs who use her brother’s image.

— I sincerely don’t understand why people on the internet are so evil and cruel. You can’t imagine what it’s like for his mom to read all the nasty things written about her own child. Recently, my brother and mom were returning home from the clinic. Haters approached them and started filming them with a camera. And then shouted: “Mom, call a taxi!” and then posted it on TikTok. Here is a boy who is not at all guilty and did not want to become popular, — the girl said.

She added that on the day of the incident, Yekaterina “lost her temper a bit and received punishment”.

Earlier we told about another conflict. In Tyumen, at the Dzerzhinsky stop, a driver of route 24 got into a conflict with several teenagers. It is not exactly known what happened next: witnesses claim that one of the children broke a bottle on the driver’s head.