A SkyTrain passenger is calling for improved safety on transit after he was the victim of an attack Wednesday night.
Fifty-one-year-old Al doesn’t want his last name used as he’s worried about his safety. He said two other men got into a fight on the train.
“They were going toe-to-toe,” he said. “These guys were going toe-to-toe hard, fists were flying, the elbows flying.”
One of the men left but the other stayed on the train. Then when the train pulled into the Commercial station, Al said he was kicked in the head.
“It was an MMA kick. it came in hard,” he said. “You know I'm 51 years old, I feel like I'm in pretty good shape. And it drove me hard to the ground. It knocked me down.”
Witnesses said the attack was unprovoked and Al said he is now hesitant to board the SkyTrain again.
“I'm going to be reluctant to get on that SkyTrain again,” he said. “For public safety, something needs to be done. Because that could have been a young woman or a child sitting where I was sitting.”
Transit Police said there are not enough funds for more officers, but their strategy is to remain visible and target areas where crime is most prevalent.
“You won’t find it possible to have a police officer on every train,” said Anne Drennan of Transit Police. “But the fact that we're able to respond so quickly, to get to the station within minutes and to apprehend a suspect a few minutes after that, is a good sign.”
Police chased the suspect several blocks before arresting him. The 35-year-old Surrey man, who police said was shoplifting, was released from custody but is not allowed to drink alcohol or use the SkyTrain.
He is scheduled to appear in court in July.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s St. John Alexander
