Bus passenger says stabbed driver is well liked
PORTLAND, Ore. – One of the victims during an attack on a TriMet bus driver in Oregon City Tuesday night said the driver tried to protect his passengers.
Andrew Crombie said the bus driver screamed at the suspect, 19-year-old Austin William Vanhagen, to get off the bus and even tried punching him to keep him off.
But Crombie said Vanhagen, who had a knife, was out of control and stabbed the bus driver. That’s when a couple passengers, one of whom was also stabbed, stepped in to protect the bus driver who's become a good friend to them over the years.
"He's one of those people who passengers will greet him with a hug when they get on board," said Crombie who had stepped off the 33 bus line, said goodnight to the driver and started to walk away. But then something went wrong.
"When I was about 20 feet away, I noticed a passenger yelling back into the bus racial slurs at one of the passengers," he said. Crombie then went back to help.
He said Vanhagen couldn't be calmed and started throwing punches. He said the driver tried to punch back, but Vanhagen then pulled out a pocket knife and started swinging.
"The suspect had jumped back on the bus to stab the bus driver. At which point one of the other passengers started to step in as well," Crombie said. "He managed to grab a hold of one of the suspect's arms. I managed to grab the other one and get it pinned around the guardrail."
Crombie said that's when Vanhagen bit him in the shoulder. But Crombie didn't let go until police took Vanhagen down with a Taser.
Crombie said he'd do it again for the driver who doesn't have much family of his own but his work and his passengers whom he cares about so much.
"He loves his job. He says the passengers are the best part of it," Crombie said.
Friends of the driver who visited him at the hospital Wednesday said he’s in a lot of pain from the stab wounds, but in good spirits. A few coworkers said he's like family to them and they're all pitching in to help him take care of his pets and home while he's recovering.
The driver, who has requested that his name not be made public, is in fair condition at a local hospital.
The family of suspect Vanhagen is frustrated because they say they tried to warn authorities he was dangerous and unpredictable.
I sure hope that TriMet doesn't take disciplinary action against the bus driver for getting involved!
As the info trickles out it's starting to sound like some people didn't remember that little rhyme about sticks and stones and just had to make sure this punk didn't get away with insulting anyone and to teach him a lesson he'll never forget. Boy, I guess they sure showed him. Save me from testosterone, please.
 @ormom You might have a point about the sticks & stones -- considering a passenger was assaulted before he left the bus. "Sticks and stones [and fists] may break my bones..."
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Probably a poor analogy to bring up, or at least, not well-thought out as to how it applied. Once again, you are enamored with selective data, despite railing against someone for doing the same in the Aloha shooting. You keep ignoring data that doesn't fit your view, such as the whole part about sticks [fists] and words [racial slurs] being used on that bus before the criminal ever stepped off, not just words.
 @brendanÂ
You are so desperate to find fault with my posts you end up making yourself look like an idiot while trying.
 @ormom One doesn't have to be desperate; it's there in plain sight.
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Remember, I *can't* find fault if you don't put it in there. Still, I'm sure it makes a nice red herring, because it's better than you actually rebutting any points with any logic. Your whole stance has been avoidance, denial, and ad hom.  If the choice is between being a Richard, and being a Maroon, I'll take Richard every time.
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I note you DO NOT DENY that you are using the same tactic you espoused to hate in another article (Aloha shooting); you still haven't answered that hypocrisy, and I bet you won't. That'd require you admit fault, and I'd bet $20 you'll refuse to do it.Â
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Distractions, distractions, distractions.
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You however, are so desperate to not be wrong, you won't face it. All it takes is "Yeah, maybe that wasn't such a great analogy; I'll try to find a more accurate one". You've had several chances to say this and haven't. Says it all.
@ormom If the punk was already off the bus, the driver could have just shut the door & driven away. Situation resolved.
 @katiemcc  Nice to see you had ZERO concern about the other passenger that got off at that stop. Let's see you tell Andrew Crombie he was worth leaving there alone with an armed, agitated criminal. Nice to know your view of situation resolved is "It's someone else's problem."
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Let's also take into account that the criminal *had already assaulted a passenger* so he was a KNOWN threat.
So once again, we come down to "Nice to know your view of situation resolved is "It's someone else's problem.""
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Go tell Andrew that, to his face. Tell that to the bus driver's family who may have lost someone in a different outcome.
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Andrew chose to help his fellow citizens. Andrew put other's safety above his own.
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There's a reason the myths about Kitty Genovese still persist to this day, and the images that story evokes. No one wants a Kitty Genovese situation in their community -- except you and ormom it seems.
@brendan Andrew Crombie, by his own account, had already walked away from the bus stop & was not involved in the altercation until he chose to return & get involved. The article says the confrontation was between the punk & other passengers ON the bus. Was the passenger assaulted still on the bus? Remove one of the combatants & the fight usually is over.
 @katiemcc
Exactly. And that would have been the best action to take to protect his passengers. I'm anxious to hear what the lone woman on the bus has to say about it.
Glad he's going to be ok and that there are people who care about him. I know TriMet gets trashed a lot but I sure wouldn't want to be a bus driver. That's a tough job. You never know what kind of folks you're going to encounter and you're pretty much on your own unless passengers step in like in situation. That's pretty rare. Most of the time people just want to get to where they're going and it's all about them. Even when they're regulars.Â
I wish this driver well. I've been privileged to have several really fine drivers over the years. One of them saved my life one dark and rainy night when some stupid driver tried to pass the bus on the right when it stopped to let us off.
He sounds like a nice guy and a welcome addition to his community. I hope he does well and gets back out there doing what he loves.
That's where the Batman guy should have been
The one thing I do miss about the MAX is the ability to know your operator.  I've trained drivers before, and driven routes myself at a public transit agency - your regular customers are friends - even if it's only a nod everyday over a few years.  It's good to see he had that relationship with his passengers and I think everyone wishes him (and the other passengers) the best.
Though I wasn't there that night I echo the kind things said about Leonard. He is well liked by his passengers, remembers many by name, and often takes the time to inquire about the welfare of those who are struggling to improve themselves from downtown Portland to the other end of his route where this tragic incident took place. I've seen him go out of his way to help others on more than one occasion. It makes it all the more tragic that he was injured in this attack, and completely believable that it happened while trying to prevent injury to his passengers.
 @Fellixe *** "The driver, who has requested that his name not be made public, is in fair condition at a local hospital." ***
 @Fellixe So they guy asks for his name not be used and you spew it out.. Nice..
 @dougrpdx  @Fellixe It's in the audio that has been released. Do try to keep up.