Man arrested after hammer attack on Winnipeg bus

A Winnipeg Police Service cruiser is shown in an undated file image. (CTV News Winnipeg)

A Winnipeg man is facing several charges after police allege he tried to attack a stranger with a hammer on a city bus.

The Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) said the attempted attack happened Monday morning in the Disraeli/Sutherland area. Police said a man riding the bus pulled out a hammer and – without provocation – tried to hit a passenger. Police said he then went to the front of the bus where he began yelling and tackled another passenger.

Other people on the bus tried to intervene, police said, adding one of them used bear spray to stop the assault.

Police said the suspect got off the bus and ran off, but was arrested by officers on the Disraeli Bridge.

Nobody was physically hurt during the incident, but police said the bus required decontamination because of the bear spray.

Officers seized the bear spray, but police said additional charges were not laid.

A 30-year-old man is charged with assault, assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon and uttering threats – cause death or bodily harm.

Police said as of Tuesday he was detained in custody.