A local man caught on September 12 allegedly threatened and attacked a bus driver, Public Security Police (PSP) spokeswoman Lai In Hong said at a regular press conference yesterday.
The suspect surnamed Pun, who is in his fifties, told the police that he is a security guard.
According to Lai, a bus driver who works for public bus operator Transmac, called the police at about 7 p.m. on September 11, saying that he had been attacked by a passenger when he reached a bus stop in Avenida Norte do Hipódromo.
PSP officers rushed to the scene to investigate. The bus driver told them that at a bus stop in Rua Nova da Areia Preta he saw that Pun was not wearing a facemask when he got on the bus so he asked him to put one on.
However, Pun only covered his mouth after taking out his facemask and did not wear it properly so the driver told him to put it on properly. Pun not only ignored him but also stood beside the driver, got emotional and started insulting him, according to Lai.
Both quarrelled on the bus and the driver finally decided to park the bus at a bus stop opposite the Bairro do Hipódromo Youth Activities Centre to ensure the safety of his passengers. The driver told the police that after parking, Pun suddenly grabbed his left hand and told him to get off the bus. When the driver refused to get off the bus, Pun allegedly attacked him by punching the driver in the head, after which he got off the bus and ran towards the Praça das Portas do Cerco (Barrier Gate Square), according to Lai.
Lai said the driver immediately started to give chase. When the victim reached the entrance of a lift at the footbridge of the square, Pun suddenly turned around, holding a key ring and a pocket knife in his hand to threaten the driver. The victim got afraid and stopped chasing Pun who immediately ran towards the square’s taxi rank. The driver later called the police for help, and was taken to a public hospital by ambulance for a medical examination. He requested the police to investigate the case.
Thanks to the CCTV footage of the bus and nearby area, PSP officers identified Pun and intercepted him around 4:30 p.m. on September 12 in his flat in Rua de Má Káu Séak in Areia Preta district. Pun admitted that he got on the bus the previous day and had a quarrel with the driver but denied that he attacked and threatened him. PSP officers seized the clothes Pun wore at the time of the suspected attack but were unable to find the key ring and the pocket knife which the driver said Pun had used to threaten him. PSP officers are continuing their investigation of the case.
Meanwhile, Lai said that a local man surnamed Fong, who is a part-time driver in his sixties, was arrested near Patane Market on Sunday night for assaulting and attacking a TCM bus driver who requested he wear a facemask when he got on a No. 1 route bus at a bus stop in Patane Market on Saturday night. Fong admitted he shouted at the driver but denied that he attacked him.
Fong was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday afternoon, facing charges of bodily harm and insult in aggravating circumstances.
This handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) yesterday shows PSP officers escorting the suspect surnamed Pun to a vehicle in Avenida Norte do Hipódromo in Areia Preta district on September 12.
