Suspect seen spitting on bus driver in violent video identified and arrested
Police have apprehended the man seen in a video violently kicking the bus door and spitting on the driver
The man who was seen violently kicking a bus door and then spitting on the driver has been identified after he was apprehended by Burnaby RCMP under the Mental Health Act in a separate incident.
Metro Vancouver Transit Police says arresting officers recognized the man from a seven second video that was shot by a passenger and posted to social media.
An investigation in ongoing and charges are being considered.
The incident happened on Tuesday just after 4 p.m. near Canada Way and Hardwick Street.
Transit Police said the confrontation began when the passenger boarded the bus and remained standing at the very front of the vehicle.
The driver asked the man to step back, but he continually came forward to cross a red line passengers are meant to stay behind.
The driver eventually pulled over and asked the passenger to get off. The man repeatedly kicked the front doors of the bus before they opened, then turned and spat on the driver's hair before leaving.
A seven-second video of the incident posted to Facebook shows a passenger, dressed in a blue long-sleeved shirt with short, buzz-cut hair, kicking the door three times. Other passengers can be heard gasping after the man spits on the driver.
Sgt. Clint Hampton says the the driver was shaken but did not need medical attention.