MONTREAL— Police have arrested the third and final suspect in a shocking assault on a city bus driver, as a 20-year-old was apprehended at his apartment in Montreal North at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Daniel Quiroz-Rivas will face charges of aggravated assault and breach of conditions Friday at the Montreal courthouse.
The other two suspects were formally charged with assault Thursday, one at Montreal courthouse, the other at youth court.
Jeffrey St-Cloud, 20, testified briefly in the presence of several family members while being charged with assault. He will remain incarcerated at least until his bail hearing Friday.
A fellow suspect, who cannot be named because he is a minor, appeared at youth court on similar charges.
The first two were arrested Wednesday evening, after an early morning incident at the corner of St-Laurent Blvd. and Jean-Talon St. The incident started as a verbal altercation but soon led to a vicious assault on a 36-year-old bus driver, who is currently in stable condition.
The exact nature of the argument remains unknown. A bus surveillance video released by transit authorities appears to show the three men taking turns spitting at the driver, but no other assault was shown in the video.
The driver suffered serious head injuries and was kept in an induced coma for over a day.
The incident took place around 2:30 a.m. as the 363 night bus approached the northern end of Little Italy.
“We don’t have all the details about the argument but it was a night bus and there are clubs on St-Laurent. Was alcohol an issue? No one knows, but there was no reason to attack a bus driver or anybody else,” said Tommy Mouhteros from the STM’s drivers’ union.
According to Mouhteros, this type of serious physical assault hasn’t occurred in years. Drivers, however, are frequently subjected to significant verbal assault and harassment, such as spitting, from patrons.
“This came out of nowhere. If there's a problem on an STM bus, make a complaint. There's no reason to attack someone,” he said, adding that night bus routes can be particularly challenging. He said they do their best to ensure drivers are secure.
“We've got surveillance on the buses, we have cameras, we have the panic button that goes directly to central and central calls the police right away,” he said.
Surveillance tape proves effective
Montreal police released a surveillance video in hopes that it would help track down the suspects. The strategy quickly bore fruit as hours later, a 17-year-old man and a 20-year-old were under arrest.
“The investigation is proceeding quickly, very quickly,” said Const. Simon Delorme.
One of the men turned himself in at a police station. The other man was arrested thanks to tips from the public.
