A North Vancouver man is in custody and facing charges after an allegedly unprovoked pepper spray attack on a fellow transit rider.
The man was riding the 239 bus from Park Royal, being abusive and intimidating other passengers on Sunday afternoon, according to North Vancouver RCMP. That escalated to an assault when he and several other passengers got off the bus at Chesterfield Avenue.
“He went by the rear of the bus exit and when they went to pass him on the street, basically unprovoked, he pepper sprays (an) individual and took off,” said Cpl. Richard De Jong.
Police arrested the suspect at First Street and Forbes Avenue.
A witness who was on the same bus said the pepper sprayer was on a racist rant before the alleged attack. As soon he boarded the bus at Capilano Mall, the man appeared disturbed, shouting and swearing at no one in particular, said Clare Lappin. He then turned his attention to a black teenager on the bus and started hurling racial slurs and other abuse. The young man moved to another seat but the suspect continued his harangue.
Disgusted by the behaviour, Lappin confronted the man.
“I just turned to him and said ‘Don’t talk to people like that.’ Then he started on me, which is fine. I don’t mind,” she said, noting she works in the Downtown Eastside. “At one point I had to tell him ‘I’m not afraid of you. Go away. Sit down.’”
The bus driver was no help when she asked for some support, Lappin said.
“At the very least, he should be tossed off transit,” she said. “I said to the bus driver, ‘Listen, this guy is being racist. He said, ‘It’s not my job.’”
De Jong said the best course of action when someone is being abusive on public transit is to call police.
“Never confront a person. Speak to someone in authority like the bus driver to alert them it’s happening. Do not make eye contact with them and if need be, get off the bus and get the next ride. It’s not worth being assaulted,” he said. “At this point, the bus driver should be taking matters in their hands too, which would be to call us and we’ll attend.”
TransLink spokesman Chris Bryan said drivers should be able to contact police on behalf of passengers.
Bus operators have a number of communications tools at their fingertips to ensure the security of passengers,” he said.
When a someone becomes a problem or is threatening other passengers on board, bus drivers can contact transit security, Transit Police or local police if needed, he said.
Dale Reinhardt, 55, is now charged with assault with a weapon, and assaulting a peace officer. The latter charge stems from an incident after he was arrested.
