A North End assault has led to the arrest of two teens in connection with a separate attack on a Winnipeg Transit bus.
The initial incident happened Sunday at around 6 p.m. Police said a group of youths started arguing with a 27-year-old man on a bus traveling near the Southwest Transit Corridor around Stradbrook and Harkness avenues.
Police said the suspect was stabbed multiple times in an unprovoked attack. Before the suspects fled, bear spray was discharged around the victim and others on the bus.
The victim was taken to hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The Winnipeg Police Service said Tuesday they were searching for a group of suspects, all male between 14 and 16 years old, wearing skinny jeans and red baseball hats.
However, a separate assault Tuesday helped officials arrest two teens in connection with the bus incident.
Officers said a 16-year-old was assaulted with a knife and bear spray near a bus stop in the area of Selkirk Avenue and Salter Street.
The victim’s injuries were non-life threatening.
Three men, a 14-year-old, a 16-year-old and a 38-year-old, were arrested at around 8:45 p.m. in the 1400 block of Magnus Avenue.
Police said the similarities in the two attacks helped police and Winnipeg Transit officials link the teen suspects to the bus incident. The 38-year-old suspect was not involved in that incident, officials said.
All three face a number of assault and weapon related charges.
Police said they are still searching for two other suspects allegedly involved in the bus assault. Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 204-986-2877 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.
This latest attack has bus riders concerned, but new stats show the number of violent attacks on buses is decreasing.
Christina Daher rides the bus every day but at night she avoids using Winnipeg Transit.
"I find that the crowd of people on the buses at night time are usually a bit more intimidating and I don't feel too safe," Daher said.
She doesn't feel any better after hearing a passenger was attacked.
"I wasn't surprised, unfortunately,” she added.
The Amalgamated Transit Union doesn't track the number of assaults on passengers. However, ATU president John Callahan said he's aware of nearly three dozen reports in the past year of a plain clothes police officer intervening in potentially violent situations aboard a bus.
"We're hoping the service that the Winnipeg Police Service is providing will continue, we believe obviously it's working,” Callahan said.
The WPS said in February of last year officers started periodically patrolling buses amid an increase of attacks on drivers.
"The reality is, we all know this, they can't be on every bus all the time but to provide that reassurance that we are present and we are potentially there,” Const. Jason Michalyshen said. “Just because they don't see a uniform doesn't necessarily mean an officer isn't present."
The Amalgamated Transit Union said there was a decrease in the number of assaults on drivers last year as compared to 2015.
The union said there were 62 assaults on drivers in 2015.
There were 41 until the end of November 2016.
The union credits a larger police presence for the decrease.
With files from Josh Crabb.
