A man allegedly attacked a 17-year-old girl on a TransLink bus in Metro Vancouver in April.
Metro Vancouver Transit Police (MVTP) are asking the public for help identifying the suspect in an indecent that took place on April 1 just before 2 p.m.
A 17-year-old girl boarded a route 335 bus headed to Newton Exchange in Surrey and headed to the back of the bus and sat down, explains a news release. At an unknown point in the journey, a man boarded the bus and "began acting erratically" as he headed to the back of the bus before he sat down near the teen.
The suspect acted "more and more agitated" as the ride went on and he eventually stood up and blocked the teen into her corner seat. At this point, without provocation, he allegedly punched her in the head multiple times, which caused her glasses to fly off her.
"Despite the teen’s attempts to defend herself, when she bent over to pick up her glasses, the suspect allegedly used his knee to strike her in the head," explains the MVTP.
The suspect was last seen leaving the bus at 152nd Street and 84th Avenue in Surrey while the victim was alerting the bus operator to the incident. The victim did not sustain any serious physical injuries and reported the incident to police when she returned home.
The suspect is described as a South Asian male, 30 to 40 years of age, medium build, approximately 5’8" with a bald head. He was seen wearing a long, black winter jacket, light blue jeans, and black runners with Velcro closures.
“Everyone has the right to arrive at their transit destination safely, and without fear of being attacked. Therefore, this unprovoked assault by a stranger is being taken extremely seriously. Our detectives have exhausted all investigative avenues available to them and are now appealing to the public for help so that an arrest can be made," said MVTP spokesperson Cnst. Amanda Steed.
Anyone with any information about this or any other assault on transit is asked to contact Transit Police by phone at 604-515-8300 or by text at 87.77.77.
