10-15 teen boys wanted for assaulting 2 TTC employees on bus in Scarborough
Posted January 23, 2023 5:06 pm.
Last Updated January 24, 2023 10:18 am.
Toronto police are searching for as many as 15 teenage boys following an alleged incident that saw two uniformed TTC employees assaulted on a bus near Kennedy Station in Scarborough.
Authorities received reports of an assault just after 3:30 p.m. in the Kennedy Road and Merrian Road area.
Officers said 10 to 15 youths “attacked” the employees aboard a TTC bus and fled the scene.
Police confirmed the two employees suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The precise ages were not immediately provided.
TTC spokesperson Stuart Green says the workers were punched and kicked and had cuts and scrapes, but they did not require hospitalization.
A third operator on board, who was driving the bus, was emotionally distraught and had to end her shift.
“We absolutely get the concerns that people would have,” Green says. “When we see incidents like these, we’re concerned.”
RELATED: Were you swarmed by a group of teen girls on the TTC? Toronto police would like to speak with you
Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113, a coalition representing close to 12,000 transit workers, confirmed that a group of male teens were behind the assault.
“Transit workers should not have to go to work in fear [for] their lives. These attacks leave long-term psychological impacts that remain with our members much after their physical wounds have healed,” ATU Local 113 said in a joint statement.
“This continued pattern of criminal behaviour cannot and will not be tolerated. There must be accountability.”
Mayor John Tory also commented on the alleged attack, acknowledging the city has to “put an end to these acts of violence and disrespect against transit workers.”
“I encourage anyone with information to help police find those responsible for this attack so they can face consequences for their behaviour. I am also very concerned about the increasing number of criminal acts involving young people,” Tory said. “I strongly believe this is something all governments have to work together to address with social and mental health experts urgently.”
Green says the TTC remains at the table with the city and police, with all sides looking for new ways to effectively address safety concerns.
“There’s something broader happening with respect to incidents on public transit,” he says.
Violence continues to plague TTC workers, riders
This reported assault comes less than 48 hours after a TTC driver was shot with a BB gun on Saturday night. The driver was waiting to take over a bus at Markham Road and Progress Avenue when he was shot at just before 6:30 p.m.
A separate violent incident happened last week when an arrest was made after a man tried to push a TTC rider on the subway tracks at Bloor-Yonge station on Friday afternoon. No one was injured.
Earlier in the month, police said they were trying to locate and speak with people swarmed and assaulted by a group of girls at several subway stations on Dec. 17, 2022. A group of eight to 10 teenage girls “randomly assaulted” several people between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. along the TTC’s Line 1.
Those attacks happened at Queen’s Park, St. Patrick, Osgoode, St. Andrew and Union Stations.
“We have reinforced our ask with Toronto’s Mayor, John Tory, and the TTC’s CEO, Rick Leary. Enough is enough. Listen to the individuals who are your eyes and ears on the ground,” ATU Local 113 said.
“It’s getting out of hand, and public transit needs to be safe again for our workers and passengers.”
With files from Michael Talbot, Patricia D’Cunha and John Marchesan of CityNews
