Senior pushed at SkyTrain in Vancouver, suspect arrested: police

Transit police say one person has been arrested after a 70-year-old man was the victim of an “unprovoked assault” at a Vancouver SkyTrain station this month.

According to the Metro Vancouver Transit Police, it happened on March 11 just before 3 p.m. Police say the senior was waiting to board a SkyTrain at Granville Station when he “heard yelling from behind him, but didn’t respond.”

“As a train came to a stop in the station, the man was grabbed from behind and violently pushed forward,” the MVTP said in a release Thursday.

The senior hit the train “head first” and fell to the ground, investigators say. They note several bystanders stepped in and placed themselves between the senior and the suspect as the victim lay on the ground.

Police say the suspect ran from the station while 9-1-1 was called. The senior was provided first aid until paramedics arrived and was then taken to the hospital with “head and facial injuries, which required surgery.”

“This was a terrifying ordeal for everyone involved, and making a timely arrest was a priority for Transit Police. We would like to thank the people who witnessed this horrific assault, placed themselves between the victim and aggressor, called for help, and took time out of their day to give detailed statements to officers,” said Const. Amanda Steed.

Transit police say the suspect, 34-year-old Tyler Meetoos, was arrested days later. He has since been charged with assault causing bodily harm and released on several conditions.

Those conditions include not being at any SkyTrain station.

Meetoos is expected back in court on March 28.