Two men appeared in court Monday following an attack on a Good Samaritan who stepped in to help a woman who was being harassed on a city bus.
Steve Hanaberg, 31, and Miguel Angel Vitron Perez Telo, 28, were each charged with assault and conspiracy charges. Hanaberg is already wanted in connection with a robbery, and Perez Telo has allegedly breached conditions of his probation.
The two men faced the new charges after a 55-year-old man intervened Sunday evening in an altercation on the 191 city bus at George V St. and St. Joseph Blvd.
The man was attacked by assailants who then fled. The victim is recovering in hospital from head injuries and is in serious condition.
"He received a punch in the head, fell on the ground, got beat up, punched and kicked," said Montreal police Constable Daniel Lacoursiere.
The woman, in her thirties, suffered minor injuries and told police she knew the attackers.
Use caution when playing Good Samaritan
While police say there's nothing wrong with playing Good Samaritan, they advise using caution and common sense when intervening in a violent scenario.
"Most people have cell phones, so they can always call police. You can tell the aggressor that you're calling police, and just by saying that you can scare them off," said Lacoursiere.
The Montreal Transport Commission won't comment on Sunday's incident, but the bus driver's union says its members are told to call 911 and not to intervene physically in the event of an altercation.
They also say that surveillance cameras, which have been installed in a dozen new Nova Bus models earlier this summer, will make a difference. Older buses will be replaced with these new models as they are retired.
"There's a camera on the bus, and maybe people will think twice about doing something on the bus and being caught on camera," said Tommy Mouhteros of the MTC Union.
