Tallinna Linnatransport (TLT) service division head Tarmo Lai said on reviewing security camera footage of the incident and providing the driver the opportunity to give their side of the story: "We decided that our values and work standards do not align with his."

Lai noted such incidents are rare, and it is normally "as a rule, the driver who is attacked, and usually by unstable individuals," noting drivers are instructed to avoid entering conflict situations where possible.

Lai said while there was physical contact between driver and passenger, he stopped short of calling it an assault: "Yes, there was contact — he grabbed the passenger by the sleeve — but there was no shaking, no hurting, no physical violence, fortunately," adding "we however have zero tolerance for any kind of physical and even verbal contact initiated by a driver."

"But in this case, for whatever reason, he went there and said and did something he should not have, and that will remain on his conscience," Lai continued.

Lai said the driver's explanation was that he thought the emergency brake lever had been pulled as a prank and without good reason, and that he was restoring order with the passenger and with the tram's braking system.

The incident happened on the evening of Saturday, March 7 on a tram plying the number 2 route from Kopli toward the city center, when, witnesses said, a woman with a dog had managed to board the tram, but her dog remained outside while the doors closed, and its leash got caught between the doors, just as the tram was about to depart from the stop.

A passenger pulled the emergency brake to prevent the tram pulling away after a verbal appeal to the driver had reportedly failed, and the dog was reunited with its owner – pulling the lever also automatically opens the doors.

The passenger said the driver then came out of their cabin, grabbed and shook the passenger and insulted them in Russian, remaining unremorseful about those actions even after the true chain of events had been explained to the driver, in the Russian language.

Lai and TLT also exonerated the passenger over their actions in this case, stating they "acted 100 percent correctly" and that passengers must never hesitate to pull the red emergency lever, often located adjacent to the doors, if they think a situation necessitates doing so.

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