City of St. Paul gives award to man who saved runaway school bus
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The city of St. Paul declared Monday Ebro Ahmed Day after the man who saved 19 middle school students and a bus driver from a potential accident.
While standing outside his family’s store, Ya Bricks Snacks and Tobacco on the east side of St. Paul, Ahmed said he saw a school bus pass by with its door open and the driver seemingly seizing last month. The 27-year-old ran after the bus, leapt through the door and pulled the bus's emergency brake.
During the ceremony on Monday, Ahmed thanked his family, his faith and community.
“Anything to make Minnesota look better,” he said. “I know we've been getting beat up in the news lately, so hopefully people can look at us differently.”
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The St. Paul City Council passed a resolution to honor Ahmed last week and on Monday presented him with the honor recognizing his “extraordinary bravery, quick thinking and selfless actions.”
Mayor Kaohly Her also attended to announce the day in honor of Ahmed and share her thanks.
“You are the epitome of what our city of St. Paul stands for,” Her said. “When we must come together and do big things, we do that. But every single day, we are stepping up to make a difference in people's lives.”
Ahmed also received a certificate of congressional recognition from the office of U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum and the Heroism Award from the St. Paul Fire Department.
The words that impacted Ahmed the most, though, were from St. Paul Public Schools Superintendent Stacie Stanley. The students he saved go to Battle Creek Middle School.
“As superintendent, I know that each one of those 19 students has a destiny,” Stanley said. “They will be our next doctors. They will be our next fire people. They will be our next police officers. They may be our next mayor; one of them. They may have my job, and you saved the destiny of 19 young people.”
Ahmed previously received the Hero Award from the Human Development Fund of St. Paul, as well as a $1,000 gift from media maker and philanthropist Sheletta Brundidge.
“I'm definitely enjoying my fame for a little bit,” Ahmed said. “We'll see how long this lasts, but you know, I'm gonna enjoy it until it's over.”
Ahmed plans to meet with the school children he saved on Wednesday.
