Pursuit / Trapped

Heading to Birmingham, a battered bus turned south on Gurnee from the station and west on 10th Street as men rushed to their cars to follow. Police escorted the bus to the city limits and then turned back, leaving the bus and its passengers behind as a long line of cars and pick-up trucks waited for a chance to pursue it. As the bus traveled out Highway 202, two cars raced around in front of it and slowed to a crawl, forcing the driver to slow as the two slashed tires gradually deflated. The driver pulled over at Forsyth & Sons Grocery, six miles outside Anniston. After examining the tires, he made a futile effort to call around for replacements while Freedom Riders Ed Blankenheim and Joe Perkins followed their training by not making eye contact or deliberately provoking confrontation. Highway Patrol agent Cowling exited with just enough time to retrieve his revolver from the baggage compartment before a mob surrounded the bus. The windows were smashed and the bus was rocked in an attempt to turn it over, and for twenty minutes the mob pounded on the bus, demanding that the Freedom Riders come out to take what was coming to them.

Anniston, Alabama · United States