In an emailed statement Friday afternoon, the city said a man has been charged, but did not list specific charges or the defendant’s age. “We are unable to comment further on the incident as it is currently under criminal investigation,” the city’s statement said. Public transit announced late Thursday night on social media that it was aware of and investigating a “serious incident.” A witness told CBC it happened while the train was heading west from Ottawa to Rideau Station. Ottawa police said in a statement that officers attended a scene on Rideau Street at approximately 6:16 p.m. Thursday, but that OC Transpo special constables — who also responded to the call — had taken over the investigation. Special constables are peace officers with the authority to arrest individuals and lay charges under the Criminal Code and provincial or municipal ordinances — as long as the alleged incidents occur on property or vehicles owned, operated or leased by OC Transpo. Good evening Ottawa, We are aware of a serious incident that occurred on O-Train Line 1 this afternoon.
Our team is investigating this incident. The Special Constabulary Unit monitors our transit system 24/7 to ensure it continues to be safe for our customers. (1/2) —@OC_Transpo

No response after pressing emergency intercom button, witness says

Jonathan Loan said he witnessed the incident. He told the CBC he heard a man yelling something about people touching him or doing something to him, “and he just started punching [the victim] in the face and kicking him” while they were both standing. “It was quite paranoid and incoherent … And then it became apparent very quickly that the victim was a complete stranger and it was like an unprovoked attack,” Loan said. Loan pressed the train’s emergency intercom button as soon as he saw the attack happen, but there was no response, he said. “It was just a dial tone,” he said. “I was quite surprised and nervous when nobody picked it up.” According to the city, when a passenger activates the intercom, train operators are notified. They are trained to respond via intercom “when it is safe to do so.” The city said the emergency intercom on the train was operational, but it has launched an internal investigation to review the incident “contrary to our standard operating procedures.” “We can assure our customers that their concerns are being treated with the respect and seriousness they deserve,” the city added. Customers who feel unsafe can call 911, contact special constables at 613-741-2478 or approach an OC Transpo constable or employee, while victims or witnesses of crime on transit property can report incidents online or by calling 613-741-2478.

The advocate would like more training

Kari Glynes Elliott, a board member of the advocacy group Ottawa Transit Riders, said OC Transpo needs to come out sooner with more specific information about incidents. Glynes Elliott also said an explanatory video on how the intercom button system works would be helpful. “Right now the public really doesn’t know [how it works] and he doesn’t really think OC Transpo knows what they’re doing,” he said. Kari Glynes Elliott is a board member of the advocacy group Ottawa Transit Riders. (Olivier Plante/CBC) As Thursday afternoon’s attack unfolded, passengers ran onto the train in panic, Loan said. “I don’t know how long the attack lasted, maybe 30 seconds… and I think some people managed to get the victim away from the attacker,” he said. A short time later the train pulled into Rideau Station and the assailant ran out and up the escalator, yelling the entire time, Loan recalled. After sitting on the train briefly to collect himself, Loan said the victim – who was “bleeding profusely” – was helped off the train by bystanders to receive first aid at the Rideau Center mall.

The victim was shaken and is recovering, the family says

CBC contacted the victim’s sister on Friday after she posted about the incident online. She said her brother was shocked by what happened and did not want to be identified publicly. Out of respect for his wishes, the family also did not want to be identified. She said her brother went to the hospital for treatment and needed stitches in his head. He was distraught by the incident and was recuperating at home, she added. The family is “distraught that there was no one on board to help him”, he said, but is “grateful” that special constables arrived minutes after a passerby alerted security and the train stopped. Cameras on the train helped track down the suspect and a warrant was issued just hours later, he added. The Rideau Transit Group, which maintains Ottawa’s LRT system, said it is looking into what happened and that an initial assessment showed the system performed as designed.