(Adds statement from Greyhound)
By David Schwartz
PHOENIX, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Dozens of people on board a Greyhound bus in Arizona were injured when a passenger, apparently high on drugs, attacked the driver on Thursday and tried to roll the vehicle, causing it to skid off the road, police said.
More than 40 people were on the bus, 26 of whom were injured in the melee that took place near Tonopah, about 50 miles (80 kms) west of Phoenix, Greyhound said.
Three people were airlifted to a local hospital, said Bart Graves, a spokesman for Arizona's Department of Public Safety, the state police organization.
"We don't believe any of the injuries are life-threatening," Graves said.
A suspect identified as Maquel Donyel Morris of Los Angeles was taken into custody and faces multiple counts of aggravated assault and endangerment, he said.
"He was high on a lot of drugs," Graves said.
Passengers said the suspect got out of his seat and started to attack the driver. Several passengers tried to restrain him, Graves said.
The suspect told the driver that he was going to flip the bus, a passenger told local TV broadcaster KTVK.
Greyhound released a statement several hours after the accident, saying it had dispatched two relief buses to pick up the uninjured passengers and take them to Phoenix.
Eight of the injured passengers were released from area hospitals, Greyhound said.
The bus, which was traveling from Los Angeles with a stop in Phoenix, came to rest in the median, just off the road, police said.
"This could have been far worse," Graves said. "The bus did not turn over, which is pretty amazing." (Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Scott Malone and Bernadette Baum)
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