1 in hospital after ‘serious assault’ on transit bus in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside: police

One person was taken to hospital following an alleged assault on a transit bus in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

It happened Friday morning on East Hastings Street near Jackson Avenue.

Vancouver police said shortly after noon they were still gathering information, but that the victim’s injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

Police initially said the incident may have been a robbery, but later said they were still working to determine motive. Both the suspect and victim were bus passengers, police said.

The suspect remains at large.

2:04 Metro Vancouver transit police say more officers needed

The attack comes amid increased scrutiny about violence involving transit in Metro Vancouver, in the wake of several high-profile incidents including the fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old boy aboard a bus in Surrey.

Transit police said Wednesday they were stepping up their presence across the system in response to the recent violence.

Transit police statistics showed 1,572 “crimes against persons” recorded in 2022, down from a high of 2,056 in 2016, but up from 1,376 in 2021 and 1,456 in 2020.

The force said it saw a decline in the volume of reported crimes per 100,000 transit passengers between 2021 and 2022, though noted passenger boardings were up by 45 per cent in that same period.