Man attacked with hammer on Saskatoon Transit bus: Police

A 23-year-old man was arrested on Monday after allegedly hitting another man in the head with a hammer on a Saskatoon Transit bus.

According to police, officers were called to the 200 block of 23rd Street East, in the city’s downtown core, just after 5 p.m.

“Upon arrival, officers located a man suffering from injuries consistent with an assault; he was treated by paramedics and transported to hospital with what were believed to be non-life-threatening injuries,” the police service said in a statement.

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“The victim explained he was hit on the head with a hammer by another male.”

Police said a man matching the description of the suspect was found and arrested on First Avenue South, and was found to be carrying a hammer.

He’s now facing charges of aggravated assault and breaching court-ordered conditions.

There have been a number of concerning assault cases involving Saskatoon buses this year, including an incident in May which saw a bus driver attacked by a group of youths, and multiple stabbings involving victims as young as 15.

Darcy Pederson, the president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 615, has voiced concerns about driver safety and violence on city buses.

Last year, 110 metal barriers with sliding Plexiglas were installed on city buses, which Pederson said has helped protect drivers, but assaults outside of those walls still happen.

“We’re also seeing assaults of people randomly reaching around the barrier with bear spray and spraying the bus operator,” Pederson told 650 CKOM in April.

“(These are) very complex issues. Nobody really knows what the answer is. We need to do something before somebody gets killed.”

–with files from 650 CKOM’s Mia Holowaychuk