Woman followed off bus, stabbed

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This article was published 21/02/2023 (961 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A woman was stabbed after another passenger followed her off a transit bus Saturday evening.

The incident happened in the area of Main Street and Mayfair Avenue at about 7:15 p.m.

The Winnipeg Police Service said Tuesday a woman in her 20s got off a bus around that intersection and that another female passenger followed her.

The victim had walked a short distance when the suspect suddenly tried to stab her, the WPS said.

The woman escaped by getting on a different Winnipeg Transit bus and contacting police. She was not injured because the weapon “did not puncture through all of her clothing,” police said.

A second victim, another woman in her 20s, was stabbed and robbed on the east side of Main Street about 15 minutes later. The suspect headed north on Main.

Police believe the same suspect was responsible for both attacks. Investigators ask anyone with information about either incident to call 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 (TIPS).

Chris Scott, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505, has said recent repeated violence on buses and at bus stops reinforces the union’s call for increased security measures.

“We are saddened to hear about these recent attacks and our thoughts and prayers are with the victims as they deal with the aftermath of the trauma they’ve experienced,” Scott said on Tuesday.

“The transit system is being used to perpetuate these heinous acts. The implementation of a transit security team cannot happen fast enough; our riding public and our members deserve to be safe.”

Mayor Scott Gillingham has promised $5 million for a transit safety team in the city’s proposed budget tabled earlier this month. The final budget vote is scheduled for March 22.

In a statement, Gillingham said “there’s some work to do in determining the scope of authority, training standards and reporting structures, but those conversations are taking place right now.

“We’ll have more details to announce soon.”

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The stabbings are the latest in a string of violent incidents on or near buses in Winnipeg.

A man was randomly attacked with a machete after getting off a bus at Ness Avenue and Mount Royal Road at about 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 9.

The 52-year-old victim was followed by the accused after he got off the bus, police said earlier this month. The victim was slashed with a machete, once in the upper body and a second time in the leg, which caused a life-altering injury.

Cintiro Jeremy Loon, 18 of Kenora, Ont., has been charged with aggravated assault, three counts of possession of a weapon and two counts of fail to comply with a probation order in connection with the Feb. 9 attack. He was detained in custody.

— Staff

Kevin Rollason
Reporter

Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.

Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.