Man sentenced following 'savage' attack on Winnipeg bus

A 45-year-old man was sentenced for an attack on a Winnipeg Transit bus described in court as “savage, sadistic and shocking.”
In the Crown’s submission, the court heard on Sunday, September 12, 2021, Peter Marius Radulescu got on Transit bus 369 at Portage and Berry around 2:15PM. He remained in his seat for about an hour. The victim, a woman in her 70s who cannot be identified due to a publication ban, got on the bus at the Polo Park bus stop at 3 p.m., and sat in front of Radulescu.
At 3:15 p.m., court heard that “with no warning, and no provocation” he pulled out the knife, raised it high in the air and plunged it into the victim. “Mr. Radulescu repeatedly stabbed her in the neck and shoulder. She turned and looked at him, and he drove it into her neck,” Crown prosecutor Nicole Roch said.
In her submission, Roch said, “the only reason he’s not charged with murder is luck. He did his best to end the life of the victim.”
After the attack, court was told Radulescu got off the bus, and the victim made her way to the front, and then collapsed and lost consciousness due to the loss of blood. She was rushed to hospital in critical and unstable condition, “hovering between life and death.”
In a submission by a doctor treating the victim, the court heard “the majority who endure this type of injury didn’t survive. It is only a matter of luck she is alive today.”
The next day, an off-duty police officer recognized Radulescu walking in front of his vehicle on Portage Avenue. He was arrested, and has subsequently pleaded guilty to attempted murder. Asked in court today if he had anything to add, Radulescu spoke a single word, “no.”
In court, Radulescu's lawyer Zilla Jones said his guilty plea was "a genuine offer to take responsibility and accountability."
Jones said Radulescu carried the knife for self protection, and the attack may have been triggered because the victim reminded him of his stepmother.
The court also heard how Radulescu's lack of affect suggested his mental health may have been affected by a disorder of some type. Jones told the court "he will be in federal custody for some time. Hopefully he will get the help he needs."
Justice Jeffrey Harris accepted the joint recommendation from the crown and defence of a sentence of 13 years in custody, less time already served, saying there are no answers as to why Mr. Radulescu attacked the victim.
Harris addressed him saying, “I hope you get the treatment you need while incarcerated. It’s quite obvious you need some intense treatment. I hope that you take advantage of whatever is offered.”
He added, “What you did was horrible. And hopefully by the time you’re ready to be released, you will no longer be a danger to society.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING | Budget 2023 prioritizes pocketbook help and clean economy, deficit projected at $40.1B
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.

BREAKING | Budget 2023 proposes across-the-board 3 per cent spending cut for government departments
The federal budget proposes an across-the-board three per cent spending cut for all departments and agencies, a belt-tightening move after years of massive growth in the federal public service.
Federal government capping excise tax on alcohol after outcry
The increase in excise duties on all alcoholic products is being temporarily capped at two per cent starting next month instead of a planned six per cent increase.
Projected cost of federal dental program set to more than double: Budget 2023
The federal budget shows the government's proposed dental-care insurance program will cost more than double what the Liberals originally thought, driving it up by another $7.3 billion over five years.
Could Canada soon standardize USB chargers? Feds looking into it, budget says
Tucked into the 2023 federal budget unveiled on Tuesday in Ottawa, the Liberals have announced plans to explore implementing a standard charging port across Canada, in an effort to save Canadians some money and reduce waste.
Ottawa commits consultation money for Indigenous resource sharing in Budget 2023
The federal Liberal government is committing $8.7 million to hold more consultations on Indigenous resource sharing, in a budget that offers relatively little new spending on its reconciliation agenda.
opinion | Amid escalating gun violence in America, the debate over gun control has been silenced
In the wake of another deadly mass shooting in America, that saw children as young as nine years old shot and killed, the gun control debate is going nowhere, writes CTV News political analyst Eric Ham.
Young children, the head of their school and its custodian. These are the victims of the Nashville school shooting
Another American community is reeling after a shooter killed three 9-year-olds and three adults at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville. These are the three children and three adults whose lives were taken by the shooter.
Nashville police release chilling security camera footage of suspected school shooter
Nashville police have released security camera footage of a suspected shooter entering the private Christian elementary school. The shooting claimed the lives of three children, all aged nine, and three adults.