Bus driver assaulted in Surrey
Posted February 4, 2014 12:57 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The union for bus drivers is offering a reward of up to $15,000 after an assault last night in Surrey.
Transit Police say a passenger was being disruptive as a bus approached the Surrey Central Station bus loop last evening just before 11pm. Constable Kevin Goodmurphy says the man was wearing headphones, but singing along loudly and swearing profusely. “The bus driver ended up asking this individual on two occasions to keep his voice down and stop swearing, but the man continued to swear and continued with this behaviour.”
Union president Nathan Woods says the driver was punched in the face as the bus arrived, then took the driver’s glasses and ran off the bus. When the bus driver ran after the man, the bus driver was hit in the face again. As the driver ran back to his bus, the man followed him and assaulted him a third time.
“The driver is very upset. I spoke to him this morning. It was right out of the blue. He had no realization this was going to develop. He’s got some bruising, he’s got broken glasses… he’s shook up.”
Goodmurphy says the man took the Skytrain from Surrey Central Station to King George Station where an attendant recognized him, but when police arrived he had taken off. “Our officers attended King George Station with a canine unit where they tracked in the area for approximately an hour but were unable to locate this individual.”
“We’re tired of the assaults happening. This one was right out of the blue. In fact, passengers were also intimidated and scared by this assailant. We don’t want to see that type of behaviour on our buses for the riders or the drivers,” says Woods.
The union is offering the reward for information leading to a conviction in this case.
Police are looking for a Caucasian man in his 30’s, between 5’6″ to 5’8″, around 160 pounds with a short black beard and black hair. He was wearing an all white track suit with black trim, black gloves and had a black toque.
