Man charged after Winnipeg bus driver assaulted

A Winnipeg bus driver was assaulted on Saturday after telling a passenger he couldn’t take him to a street that wasn’t on his route.

The Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) began to investigate around 3:15 p.m. on Saturday after receiving a report about an agitated man on a bus in the area of Grassie and Lagimodiere Boulevards.

When officers got to the scene, they found a man assaulting a bus driver. Police stopped the assault and arrested the suspect.

The victim was assessed at the scene for upper-body injuries.

Police investigated and determined the suspect demanded that the driver take him to a street that wasn’t on the designated route. Officers allege that when the request could not be accommodated, the suspect got angry and started to attack the driver.

The driver stopped the bus, activated his emergency equipment and opened the doors to allow the riders to get off the bus.

According to police, once the bus was stopped, the suspect threatened to stab the victim and continued the assault until officers stepped in.

A 29-year-old Winnipeg man is facing charges of assault with a weapon, assault and uttering threats. Police note the suspect used a grocery bag and its contents as a weapon.

The 29-year-old man was taken into custody.