 A veteran ETS driver was blasted in the face with a can of pepper spray Monday morning during an altercation with two teens. (QMI Agency file photo)
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EDMONTON -- City cops are concerned after the second brazen assault on a bus driver this month over a fare dispute.
The latest attack saw a veteran driver blasted in the face with a can of pepper spray yesterday morning after two teens allegedly got into an argument at the Coliseum Transit Station on 76 Street and 118 Avenue while trying to board a Route 5 bus.
While the driver didn't suffer serious injuries, the incident eerily mirrored the brutal assault of 58-year-old driver Tom Bregg on Dec. 3 after a passenger allegedly dragged him off the bus and kicked him repeatedly in the face and head before fleeing.
Sgt. Robinder Gill of the Edmonton Police Service's downtown division said the recent spate of transit attacks is troubling.
'UNPROVOKED'
"It's very concerning -- these attacks are unprovoked and brazen and they're occurring in broad daylight," he said.
"Every day what bus drivers do is important to the citizens so we take this very seriously."
The two teens, aged 14 and 15, were nabbed less than 10 minutes later at another bus stop on 118 Avenue, Gill said, and are now facing charges of assault with a weapon and breach of probation.
He added a further charge of possession of a weapon dangerous to the public is also being considered.
Their names will not be released under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Earlier this month, officials with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569 said drivers have been assaulted almost 70 times in 2009, incidents that range from spitting to the vicious assault on Bregg, for which he remains in hospital after several surgeries.
The attack renewed calls for safety shields to be installed in most city buses as well as prompting two city councillors to back union calls to push tougher legislation, which would put transit employees in the same category as peace officers if they're assaulted.
TRAINED TO AVOID
Chuck Van Deel Piepers, safety operations co-ordinator for Edmonton Transit Service, said drivers are trained to avoid dangerous situations but sometimes they do happen.
"Drivers shouldn't be putting the safety of themselves and their passengers at risk but it's too early to know in this case if anything could have been done differently," he said.
"These are isolated cases and it's unfortunate that we've had two incidents like this so close together."
Van Deel Piepers said despite the rising number of assaults, when compared to the 66 million transit trips in 2008, they are marginal.
He added there will also be no rush to bring in driver safety shields despite the recent incidents, noting "we want to do it right."
The driver was decontaminated at the scene by having his eyes flushed with water while six other passengers also reported some exposure to the pepper spray.
