A man who was threatening passengers on a Winnipeg Transit bus Wednesday afternoon has been arrested.
Police were able to board the eastbound No. 11 bus at Portage Avenue and Arlington Street and take down the man with the use of a taser.
Rigor Maglaya was in the area to pick up a friend from work when he saw the incident unfold. He told 680 CJOB he saw a crowd forming around the parked bus, including police and Transit officials.
“(People at the scene) told me that there was a guy in the bus, and that he had scissors and he was threatening people with them,” Maglaya said.
“He also had hairspray and a lighter and was using it as a blowtorch and threatening people with it. It was a bit surreal.
“I’m pretty sure it was a traumatic experience.”
Police said the passengers had been safely evacuated by the time police met up with the bus, and that neither the driver nor the passengers were injured.
The 29-year-old suspect faces charges of possessing a weapon and assault with a weapon.
Amalgamated Transit Union president Aleem Chaudhary told 680 CJOB the bus driver used some quick thinking to avoid getting hurt in the incident.
“He had tried to stab our operator a number of times with that pair of scissors,” he said.
“Fortunately for our operator, he acted very quickly and very professionally, and he was able to use the shield door to protect himself.
“These are the working conditions, the stressful conditions, that do face our operators each and every day, unfortunately.”
A Winnipeg Transit spokesperson said the organization has a number of supports in place to help employees who have been involved in incidents like this one.
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