One man may be behind two violent attacks on transit
Posted February 22, 2012 3:37 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ALDERGROVE (NEWS1130) – Bus drivers are being warned about a violent passenger who is attacking people on public transit.
Mounties believe the man who choked a bus driver in Surrey on Saturday is the same person who stabbed a man on a bus in Aldergrove on Tuesday.
“It scares the living bejesus out of us,” said Gavin DeVries with the union that represents bus drivers.
“We’re all alone. Yes, we have video and the ability to call transit security and get the police out there quickly, but in incidents like this that can take 10 to 15 minutes. We’re virtually all alone and these are things that weigh very heavy on our members.”
A man was traveling from the Langley Bus Loop to Aldergrove around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday. Cpl. Holly Marks with Langley RCMP says the victim and his brother didn’t talk to their attacker at any point during the ride.
“After [the man and his brother] exited the bus, the victim felt a slap on his back,” Marks said. “Initially, he felt no pain, but quickly came to realize he had, in fact been stabbed.”
The 41-year-old victim was airlifted to the hospital. He is expected to live.
Marks says the suspect matches the description of the man who choked a bus driver near 76th Ave. and King George Blvd. in Surrey on Saturday morning.
“The driver noted that the male was standing in an unsafe area and requested he move,” Marks said. “The suspect moved, however when the bus came to the next stop, he choked the driver with one hand for a significant length of time.”
The bus driver is shaken up but he is going to be okay.
Police believe both attacks were random. Transit Security will be doing extra patrols in Surrey and Langley for the next few days.
“As we do in any assault when the assailant is at large, we tell our members to be really careful of what’s going on,” Davies said.
“Ninety per cent of them have street smarts. We joke around, but it’s true. We pull into bus stops and we have the ability of seeing this someone we may want to pay attention to. Our spidey senses will be tingling, I can guarantee that.”
The union is offering a $2,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest in the Surrey case.
The suspect is described as white, approximately 18 to 20 years old, five feet 10 inches to six feet tall, and 150 pounds, with dark hair.
