Passengers subdue man who attacked TriMet bus driver
PORTLAND, Ore. - A passenger on a TriMet bus is under arrest after TriMet officials said the man attacked a bus driver on Wednesday. Other passengers on the bus jumped in to help the driver, TriMet said.
TriMet officials said Thomas Dunford boarded the No. 9 bus at SE Powell Boulevard and Milwaukie Avenue in Southeast Portland at around 4:45 p.m. and became irate and started yelling when asked for his fare.
Witnesses told transit police the unidentified female bus driver didn't do anything to provoke Dunford, who officials said punched the driver in the shoulder so hard she was unable to continue driving.
Dunford was subdued by two other people on the bus, Trimet officials said. The good Samaritans kept Dunford restrained until transit police arrived.
TriMet officials pointed KATU News to a blog, called Rantings of a Former TriMet Bus Driver, which had radio traffic from the incident posted online.
"The guy attacked the driver, he did hit her pretty hard in the shoulder," an unidentified person said in one transmission. "Two passengers came to her rescue and got the guy off her. He's big enough [that] police had a hard time getting him in a police car."
Dunford was arrested on a felony assault charge.
In February, another driver was assaulted by a passenger who grabbed a driver by the throat. The driver was not seriously hurt.
That incident took place just blocks from the location of Wednesday's assault. TriMet did not say if the same driver or suspect was involved Wednesday.
TriMet is also dealing with another driver who forced a woman and four children off a bus at night in Forest Grove for failure to fay their fare. Witnesses said the woman who was kicked off the bus antagonized the driver.
The same driver was involved in a similar incident in October of 2011.
In May of this year, another TriMet driver, Larry Porter, tackled a man who was beating a woman in Southeast Portland.
Wow.... TriMet sure seems to be in the news a lot, and it's all bad news. It sure is good to hear about someone stepping up and taking a stand though.
Isn't there some sort of patrol, or security on the Bus, and Train system?
Your article makes all of issues listed sound bad and as if the drivers are at fault in each incident. I don't think it is ever right for someone to be assault at work by their customer(s). Â In reference to Larry Porter, he is a hero coming to the aid of a woman, that is an outstanding thing for anyone person to come to the aid of another. Bus drivers are not machines they are people just like you and me and I imagine every single one of them is trying to smoothly get people from point A to point B. Thank you bus drivers of Trimet.Â
I'm glad to see by-standers coming to the assistance of folks who are being threatened or attacked... The police can't be everywhere... Maybe if enough people are willing to get involved, some of these "bad cases" will get the idea that maybe beating up on the bus driver, or the guy just walking down the street, or whatever... maybe that isn't such a great idea after all..!
Â
As others have posted, "Well done!" to the 2 passengers who came to the aid of this TriMet driver, then held onto the bad guy until the police could get there..!
Â
Hope the bus driver will be OK..! :-)
There seems to be a slight trend growing in and around the Portland Area. Â More often by-standers are getting involved in incidents in which others ignore or walk away from. This is a good thing.
Â
Well done to the two passengers for getting involved.
 @Tox Lots of people are getting sick and tired of the BS. I'm glad some people where willing to stand up and take measures to keep this guy in check.
I hope he gets a " warm welcome " at the big house. What an Idiot.
Good luck getting that felony reduced. What a dumbass.
Props for the two passengers who helped. For so many out there, the attitude would be that if she can't defend herself, she deserves to be assaulted.
He probably didn't like the new furniture...