Bus Driver Who Left Non-Verbal Autistic Student on the Bus Pleads Guilty

WHITTIER – The bus driver charged with the 2015 death of a 19-year-old non-verbal Autistic student in Whittier pleaded guilty today.

According to Los Angeles County District Attorney’s officials, on September 11, 2015, Hun Joon “Paul” Lee, a Sierra Vista Adult student, was picked up with only two other students that morning and was left on the bus.  On that particular day, temperatures reached approximately 90 degrees. 

Lee’s parents became concerned when their son did not arrive home on the bus at 3:30 p.m. and called the school. Lee was found unresponsive lying on the ground of the bus at around 4:25 p.m. after being left on the bus for approximately 7 hours.  The Pupil Transportation Cooperative bus, that was parked at the Whittier Union High School District lot had all of the windows closed when the discovery was made,

Armando Abel Ramirez, the 37-year-old bus driver pleaded guilty to dependent adult abuse as part of a plea deal. Ramirez is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on January 30, 2017, for sentencing where he is expected to be sentenced to two years in prison.

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