A young man was stabbed in the chest while travelling through northern Ontario on a Winnipeg-bound Greyhound bus Sunday afternoon -- less than two hours after passengers say the attacker was put on board by members of the Ontario Provincial Police.
The victim -- identified by witnesses as an Asian male in his mid-20s -- was rushed to hospital and is expected to survive. Police arrested the suspect near the town of White River, just moments after the driver allowed him to get off at the side of the highway.
"We don't know why he was with the police or why he was able to get on the bus with a knife and get that by police," Winnipeg author Anita Daher told the Free Press Sunday night. She was one of an estimated dozen passengers who witnessed the incident, which immediately brought back memories of the July attack near Portage la Prairie in which Winnipegger Tim McLean was stabbed and beheaded on-board a Greyhound.
"There's got to be some security measures put in place. We don't feel safe," Daher said.
She boarded the bus in Sault Ste. Marie Sunday afternoon following a two-day author presentation in that community. She deliberately picked a seat near the front, believing she'd be safer if trouble broke out.
Daher said she was returning messages on her BlackBerry when she heard a commotion from the back of the bus just after 3 p.m. Winnipeg time.
"I heard a shout, someone yelling that someone was having trouble breathing. Then I heard something about a knife," Daher said.
She called 911, then handed the phone to the Greyhound driver. About the same time, a young white male walked to the front of the bus, blood dripping from his hands.
"I could see the drops on the floor. He was quite concerned about the mess he was making," she said.
The man demanded the bus stop and let him off immediately. The driver -- apparently not aware of what had happened -- told him they'd be arriving in White River in a few minutes. The town is located about 300 kilometres north of Sault Ste. Marie.
"Just hang on," the driver said, according to Daher.
The man wasn't satisfied, saying "Just open the doors."
"I told him to wait for the next stop. He turned and just kind of glared at me," Daher said.
"People at the back were yelling 'Don't let him get away', but the driver stopped and let him off," she said.
Police picked him up at the side of the road a short time later.
The bus continued on to White River and stopped at an A&W Restaurant, where they were met by paramedics who took the victim to hospital.
"He was conscious, but he was holding his chest and clearly in pain," said Daher.
She believes the stabber also cut himself in the hand and even tried to clean up in the washroom before fleeing.
Police seized the bus for forensic identification and took all the passengers to the local detachment for interviews.
Passengers were told they would likely be able to retrieve their possessions from the Greyhound late Sunday night before boarding a chartered bus to continue their journey.
The accused got on the bus in the town of Wawa under the direction of police, said Daher. She believes there had been a disturbance at the local store preceding his boarding.
She said nothing unusual happened before the stabbing and doesn't believe the victim and attacker knew each other. Two women travelling with the victim were very concerned, Daher said.
"This was all very surprising and very disturbing," said Daher, who heard from another male passenger that the attacker may have tried to stab him first before going after the victim.
A Greyhound spokeswoman said Sunday she couldn't confirm details because of the police investigation. Ontario Provincial Police have not released information about the incident.
Earlier this month, the family of Tim McLean filed a lawsuit that alleged Greyhound and the federal government failed to provide adequate security measures to the travelling public. They cited a number of violent incidents in recent years on-board Greyhound buses. They also named the RCMP and murder suspect Vincent Li in the statement of claim, which seeks approximately $170,000 in damages.
Li is charged with second-degree murder and his case remains before the courts. His mental health and whether he can be found criminally responsible is expected to be the key issue at trial.
Daher said Sunday's attack has shaken her fragile confidence in Greyhound. She tried to find a car rental facility in White River but came up empty.
On the positive side, she said she got some "fodder" for future books -- since crime fiction is one of her favourite genres.
www.mikeoncrime.com
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