WINNIPEG -- A man who police said admitted to being on meth was arrested after passengers on a Winnipeg Transit bus were threatened with a knife early Friday morning.
Police said at around 12:45 a.m. officers responded to the bus, which was stopped on Dunkirk Drive near Kingston Row.
“I can tell you that in this case, what I’ve been told is that in conjunction with a transit supervisor, they decided to stop the bus under the guise that the bus had a mechanical issue,” said Const. Rob Carver.
The man who made the threats left the bus, police said. After a short chase, officers caught a suspect and said an eight-inch knife was seized.
“Certainly, this was a danger to anyone on the bus, as well as the driver,” said Carver. “We feel the driver did a great job here. It looks like his actions made sure everybody was safe, and allowed us to apprehend the individual.”
Police said there were no injuries.
Roxy Pierre Colomb, 34, from Lynn Lake, Man., has been charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possessing a weapon.
Police said the accused admitted to using methamphetamine prior to this incident.
“On the one hand, it’s very concerning for sure, but in fact we are seeing this now on a fairly regular basis: somebody who is using methamphetamine,” Carver said.
The City of Winnipeg said transit operators and supervisory staff are trained to navigate potentially dangerous situations like this.
In a statement, a spokesperson said they are proud of the way things were handled and are grateful everyone was safe.
A spokesperson with the Amalgamated Transit Union thanked the operator for taking the appropriate actions in this case.
“We encourage our operators and members of the public to call in to the proper authorities in instances such as this,” said the ATU spokesperson.
