Good Samaritan injured in racist bus incident

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This article was published 03/11/2018 (2147 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An incident that began with a suspect, who was wielding a knife, yelling racial slurs at a man on a Winnipeg Transit bus, resulted in one of two Good Samaritans being stabbed when they intervened.

Winnipeg police spokesman Const. Jay Murray said on Sunday that the pair were on the bus, just after midnight near Graham Avenue and Donald Street, when the racial incident occurred.

Murray said the man with the knife yelled racial slurs at a black man and threatened to stab him.

When the black man got off the bus and was being followed off by the suspect, the pair stopped the suspect.

Murray said a struggle broke out and one of the Good Samaritans was stabbed in the lower body. He was taken to hospital.

Murray said it appeared the man just needed stitches, but it could have been worse.

“Most people would have done a similar thing, but as always our advice is to contact police. You should never put yourself into something unsafe. But they did prevent this (other) individual from being hurt.”

Murray said officers arrested the suspect a short time after the incident and the investigation continues.

The Amalgamated Transit Union has repeatedly called on management to beef up security on buses following the February 2014 death of driver Irvine (Jubal) Fraser. He was stabbed to death by a passenger at the end of his route at the University of Manitoba.

Aleem Chaudhary, president of Local 1505, called the incident “unfortunate.

“It’s sad our society is getting the way it is… with the new council being sworn in this week I hope they make (safety on buses) a No. 1 priority.

“Although sometimes our operators are not involved verbally or physically, they are affected. They didn’t sign up to be in a war zone.”

The incident also occured just days after the union expressed frustration with transit management for only letting it know about violent incidents involving bus drivers and not passengers.

But Chaudhary said Sunday was different.

“They did give me a call on this one,” he said. “I appreciated it. Our drivers need to know what’s happening on other buses.”

Meanwhile, Murray said that shortly before this incident, the suspect attacked a man who was waiting for a bus at Graham Avenue and Edmonton Street. He allegedly put a knife up to the victim’s neck and stole a mobile phone and wallet before fleeing. That victim was not injured.

Devon Evan Charles Henderson, 23, of Winnipeg, has been charged with assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon, robbery, and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. He was detained in custody.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca