Man banned from bus used head to break windows

A 30-year-old Winnipeg man accused of smashing the windows of several buses last weekend has been convicted seven times of doing the same thing in a case his lawyer argued criminalizes mental illness.

Police arrested the accused Jan. 11 after security video captured a man smashing the windows on four different buses between 1:36 p.m. and 8:15 p.m., causing an estimated $3,000 in damage. He remains in custody.

In August, the man pleaded guilty to four counts of mischief to property and related offences and was sentenced to 105 days served and two years probation, during which time he was banned from riding on Winnipeg Transit.

Court heard on six days between October 2024 and March 2025, the man was sitting in a city bus when he forcefully and repeatedly banged his head or hands against a window, breaking or shattering them.

At the time, Winnipeg Transit had banned the man from riding on city buses after he pleaded guilty to three identical mischief charges in 2023, but he was not bound by any court prohibition.

The man “is well known to Winnipeg Transit officials,” a transit manager said in a victim impact statement provided to court in August. “When he rides the bus, he will use his head to break bus windows… This is emotionally disturbing to see for other bus riders, bus operators and transit inspectors who deal with him.”

The man was arrested and released three times, only to reoffend again and again.

On one day in March 2025, the man damaged windows on four buses within the span of five hours.

“I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to concentrate on driving the bus, which is no easy task to begin with, when an individual behind you starts smashing at the window,” Crown attorney Colin Soul told provincial court Judge Michael Clark. “Police response cannot be instantaneous (and) the bus driver continues on his job, not knowing if (the man) is going to be limited to banging the window or if there is going to be an escalation.”

On two occasions, bus security video captured the man accosting other passengers.

Court heard the man lives with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and schizophrenia, struggles with drug addictions, and is considered a vulnerable person under the law.

Defence lawyer Jesse Blackman objected to a Crown recommendation the court ban the man from using Winnipeg Transit, arguing it would set him up for failure.

The man had lost his housing, would likely be relying on shelters when released from custody, and would need to use the bus to meet with his probation officer.

“What we are doing is criminalizing his behavior,” Blackman said. “When someone is using their head against a window to try and silence the voices in their head, that to me is at the very, very low end of moral blameworthiness.”

Clark said the man’s case presented a “conundrum” to the court, but he had to focus on providing “some peace” to bus drivers and passengers.

Clark banned the man from riding the bus, and placed him on unsupervised probation, eliminating the need for him to meet with a probation officer.

The man will have to “try and get help (himself) through the community,” Clark said.

“That’s tough, I know,” he said. “It’s more important that the public be protected. It’s time that the riders and drivers of buses get a break from (him).”

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca