A Toronto man has been arrested for a verbal tirade against a female TTC driver that lasted for around 30 minutes. He later posted a video of the incident on social media.
Here’s what happened according to a Toronto police news release.
On Wednesday, September 6 at around 10:45 a.m., a TTC bus driver operating a bus in the Drewry Avenue and Bathurst Street area stopped and was attempting to reposition the vehicle before allowing passengers to get on. A man ran across the intersection, started to punch the bus and began yelling and swearing at the driver to open the doors.
The driver did not open the bus doors due to the man’s aggressive behaviour. The man then began to record the interaction and stood in front of the bus. As some passengers were allowed to exit, the suspect entered the bus and continued his behaviour.
The driver then advised other passengers that the bus was no longer in service and the suspect eventually exited the bus.
On Tuesday, September 12, Paul Sampalean, 38, of Toronto, was arrested and charged with Mischief, Intimidation and Causing a Disturbance.
During an interview with CTV News Toronto, Marvin Alfred, president ATU Local 113, said the incident is “horrible, it’s absolutely demoralizing while you’re trying to do your job.”
The union identified the TTC driver as a black woman and believes that the incident was racially motivated.
