By Katherine Landergan, Globe Correspondent, and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus driver said today she feared she was being hijacked when a burly man grabbed the steering wheel of her bus as it moved through Brighton.

Sharina Byrd, who has worked for the MBTA for less than a month, said the incident unfolded suddenly Tuesday night while she was driving the 86 bus down Chestnut Hill Avenue near the intersection with Commonwealth Avenue when the man put his hand on her right shoulder.

He then reached in front of her and pushed the steering wheel to the left, sending the bus into the oncoming traffic lane. At the same time, Byrd said, she pulled the emergency brake, stepped on the brakes, and wrested control of the steering wheel away from the man.

Once the bus came to a stop, Byrd said, she followed MBTA training and opened the door, and the man ran off the bus. She said 15 passengers were on the bus at the time, and none were injured.

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Byron Smith for The Boston Globe

EMTs assist students affected by the pepper spray on the grass outside the school.

By Matt Rocheleau and Katherine Landergan, Globe Correspondents, and Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Thirty-three students were transported to the hospital, and hundreds of students, faculty, and staff were evacuated after someone released pepper spray in the hallway at a Brighton school building, authorities said.

Six of the students from the Another Course to College pilot high school on Warren Street were transported to St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Brighton, while the rest were taken to Children's Hospital in Boston, said Boston EMS Chief Jim Hooley. The students' symptoms included coughing and sneezing, he said. Acting District Fire Chief Paul Burke said the students were suffering from "upper respiratory irritation," but none were seriously injured.

St. Elizabeth's officials said all the students there had been released by late afternoon. Children’s Hospital said in a statement that all 27 patients it received were in “good condition and are expected to be released.”

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By Travis Andersen and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

The woman knocked to the ground by a spectator while she ran the Boston Marathon has told Boston police she is unharmed and she does not want to pursue criminal charges against the man.

Police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said today the woman contacted detectives after learning police were searching for her in connection with the incident involving 20-year-old Brendan Quinn of Medfield.

“She came forward. We do know who she is,’’ Driscoll said. “She was grateful we wanted to check on her well-being, but she did not want to proceed or be identified.’’

Driscoll said the woman told police she was not harmed in the incident.

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David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

Just another stroller taking in the sights of the big city, a turkey shared a Brighton sidewalk with unfeathered friends.

By Jenna Duncan, Globe Correspondent

After hearing the rumors from customers for the past week, Karen Hendersen finally saw the legend today – a turkey on Washington Street, near the intersection with Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton.

Up to four at a time have been spotted recently in the area, causing walkers to gawk and traffic to reach a gridlock at times as they meander in the road.

“This one is not shy,” said Hendersen, 54, an employee at Melvin Pharmacy where the turkey could be found most of this afternoon. “It’s pretty calm.”

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By Globe Staff

A large dump truck has crashed on Massachusetts Turnpike in Brighton, causing traffic delays for eastbound commuters.

The 18-wheel tractor trailer was empty, but has come to rest sprawling across three traffic lanes, State Police said.

One lane, the left lane, remains open. The crash occurred just east of Exit 19 around 12:25 p.m.

No further information is currently available.

By Stewart Bishop, Globe Correspondent

CHELSEA -- An Allston man was fatally stabbed Saturday night in Chelsea near the MBTA commuter rail stop on Sixth Street, the city's 10th homicide victim this year, according to police. Last year the city had no homicides; in 2008 it had three.

Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, identified the victim as 28-year-old Joaquin Aguilar. Relatives could not be reached for comment today.

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By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

An ordinance proposed today by two members of the Boston City Council would license up to 25 food trucks with the hope of spurring a small fleet of high-end mobile restaurants.

The proposal, by Councilors Michael P. Ross and Salvatore LaMattina at today's weekly meeting, will require a public hearing and approval by the mayor and a majority of the council. The ordinance draws on lessons learned by other cities that have experienced a proliferation of gourmet food trucks.

It would require a fixed brick-and-mortar commissary for water, supplies, and cleaning; a ban on parking within 100 feet of an established restaurant selling similar food; and other crucial requirements of running a mobile kitchen, such as having a bathroom plan so employees can use the toilet.

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By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, appearing in good spirits today after a five-night stay in the hospital, said he had felt frustrated to be hospitalized but emphasized he had remained in constant contact with his staff, including School Superintendent Carol Johnson who has announced controversial plans to close some city schools.

Menino, wearing khaki pants and gym shoes, said he felt fine as he kidded around with reporters gathered at his home in Boston's Readville neighborhood.

He said he would determine in the next few days when to return to his desk at City Hall. But he emphasized, "My house is just as good as City Hall."

Menino was admitted to Brigham and Women's Hospital on Wednesday because medication he took for an infection made him feel ill, said spokeswoman Dot Joyce.

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By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Staff

A Suffolk County grand jury has indicted five people in connection with a wide-reaching scandal that broke over the summer where emergency medical instructors allegedly faked training courses and recertification of hundreds of emergency workers, Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office said today.

Leo Nault, 50, of Concord, N.H., a paramedic formerly employed by Trinity Ambulance in Haverhill, was indicted as the alleged ringleader and central operator of the scheme that included firefighters and emergency medical technicians from several communities north of Boston.

Nault was indicted for submitting false documents and conspiracy after Coakley’s office said that, from 2006-2009, Nault rarely, if ever, actually taught an EMT refresher training course and simply gathered the emergency workers’ signatures on attendance forms and submitted them to the Office of Emergency Medical Services.

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By Taylor M. Miles, Globe Correspondent

A 22-year-old Boston University graduate was struck and killed by a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority D Line trolley headed eastbound early this morning between the Longwood and Fenway stops, according to an MBTA spokesman.

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