Auckland bus driver in critical condition after being 'dragged' from seat and attacked
Thursday, 23 September 2021
A man has been arrested and charged after a “violent and unprovoked” attack left an Auckland bus driver in a critical condition.
This is the second time the driver had been assaulted while working in the past month.
Detective senior sergeant Phil Cox said police were called to the incident on Great North Rd, Waterview, at 10.20pm, after reports of a bus passenger allegedly attacking the driver.
The driver was allegedly dragged from his seat and struck several times, according to a police statement.
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The driver was sent to hospital in a critical condition and is now in a serious but stable condition.
The 27-year-old offender fled but was later taken into custody and charged with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of a knife in a public place.
He was due to appear at Auckland District Court on Thursday.
Earlier, on August 29, the driver was assaulted on Railside Ave in Henderson. Three youths were referred to Youth Aid in relation to that incident.
Sergeant Phil Cox said this was an appalling act of violence on one of the community’s essential workers, who was just going about their job.
“This was completely unacceptable,” he said.
The victim and their family had been offered victim support following the August incident, and will continue to receive that, police said.
Police said patrols and visibility on and around buses will be increased to ensure the safety of bus drivers, while they continue to work with Auckland Transport on the issue.
Between August 1 and September 17, there were 35 reported incidents involving abuse or aggression towards Auckland’s bus drivers, despite low passenger numbers due to alert level 4.