Kingston Transit bus evacuated over passenger’s erratic behaviour: police

A passenger’s erratic behaviour on a Kingston Transit bus forced the driver to pull over and evacuate the bus Thursday, police say.

Police say the trouble started when a suspect got on the bus in the west end around 1:15 p.m. and demanded the driver immediately depart.

When the driver refused the request, the suspect, identified only as an “individual” by police, began to bang on the glass partition separating the driver from passengers, investigators said in a release Friday.

While the unruly passenger eventually made their way to the back of the bus, police say the relative peace was short-lived.

After heading to the back of the bus, police say the suspect began “hanging off the bus rails and banging on the windows,” causing several passengers to move from their seats and make their way to the front of the bus.

The driver was forced to pull the bus over at the corner of Bath and Palace roads and call police due to the passenger’s continued behaviour.

Everyone on the bus, including the driver, got off, leaving the suspect alone on the bus while police headed to the scene.

Investigators say the suspect punched a passenger in the face with a closed fist during the fracas and also allege they bit an arresting officer while being booked following their arrest.

A 39-year-old individual from Kingston has been charged with assault, assaulting a peace officer, causing a disturbance and failing to comply with a release order.