Quick Thinking Greyhound Driver Subdues Screaming Passenger On Board T.O.-Bound Bus
Posted January 27, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
After several disturbing incidents on board Greyhound buses last year and despite instituting new safety precautions, passengers on board one of the Windsor-to-Toronto vehicles got another scare Tuesday morning.
It happened just east of the departure point on Highway 401 when one of those travelling inside suddenly jumped up, ran screaming towards the driver and grabbed him while the bus was in motion.
The man behind the wheel was startled but kept his cool and managed to get the bus over to the side of the highway without incident. He then subdued the upset man and waited for authorities to arrive. Police took the passenger, identified only as a 46-year-old Mississauga man, away for examination.
For now, no charges are being laid, although the OPP admits that could change as they probe the case and the passenger’s motivation.
The driver is being hailed a hero for his quick thinking and the fact that no one was hurt and no one else on the road was placed in danger.
Security concerns aboard Greyhound vehicles have been growing since a terrifying incident in Manitoba last July 31st. A man is accused of attacking a sleeping passenger seemingly at random, stabbing him numerous times and then decapitating him. Tim McLean, a 22-year-old carnival worker, died at the scene and a 40-year-old was charged with second-degree murder.
Then a few months later, came another scare. A 20-year-old man was stabbed onboard a second Toronto-bound Greyhound bus as it travelled near White River between Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay.
It was later revealed that the OPP may have put the suspect on board.
The violence prompted an overhaul of Greyhound’s overall security, including the rollout of metal detectors at boarding points.
