Winnipeg bus drivers spat on, supervisor assaulted in separate assaults: police

Transit Union wants safer buses Drivers say violent incidents are happening too often in Winnipeg.

Winnipeg police say two people have been arrested after they allegedly assaulted bus drivers on city buses in multiple incidents on Thursday.

The first incident occurred at approximately 2:45 p.m. and involved a male passenger who was yelling and swearing while riding a bus. The driver stopped the bus at Notre Dame Avenue and Sherwin Road and tried to calm the passenger down, but was not successful. The driver asked for help from a supervisor and asked the passenger to leave, but the man allegedly spat on the driver before leaving the bus and ripping the windshield wiper off of the supervisor’s vehicle.

Police said the same man boarded a bus without paying at approximately 5:45 p.m. and was acting belligerent. Drivers asked the man to exit the bus at Portage Avenue and Vaughn Street, with the man spitting on the driver as he was leaving. He was arrested at a nearby bus shelter and taken to hospital for a medical assessment. The man allegedly threatened to kill one of the previous victims on the bus while at the hospital, police said.

A 52-year-old Winnipeg man has been charged with two counts of assault, and one count each of uttering threats and mischief under $5,000. He remains in custody.

MAIN STREET DISTURBANCE

Police also responded to another incident in the area of Main Street and Pioneer Avenue at 8:25 p.m. According to police, they received a report of an intoxicated person causing a disturbance on the bus.

Officers saw a woman acting erratically on the bus and she was arrested. Police said it is alleged the woman was involved in another incident on a transit bus at approximately 3:15 p.m. that day.

Police allege the woman was causing a disturbance on the bus, forcing the driver to stop at the Garden City terminal and ask for help from a transit supervisor.

When the supervisor arrived on the bus to check on the woman’s well-being, police say she became agitated and threw numerous objects at him, including her personal belongings, unused syringes, a backpack and a carrying case, hitting the supervisor in the face twice.

The woman ran from the scene. The supervisor did not need medical attention.

A 35-year-old woman is facing charges of assault with a weapon and was released on an undertaking.

The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1505 is calling on the City of Winnipeg to work on improving safety on city buses, calling for a transit security force, extended shields and updated radio transmission.

“These assaults have long-lasting negative impacts on the mental health of our members and our passengers who must witness and endure such events,” said Romeo Ignacio, president of ATU Local 1505, in a statement. “Transit workers deserve a safe work environment, and our passengers deserve safe transportation.”