Patty Garside is one of the victims of the attacks on bus passengers in Edmonton, along with her daughter and sister. She believes that these attacks should wake up the Municipality to the problem, because according to her, it is up to the City to act.
” I don’t blame this woman [l’auteure présumée des agressions]. I see a system that is very, very flawed. »
Originally from Victoria, British Columbia, Patty Garside, 56, explains that she, her daughter and her sister were on their way to the transit center in Lewis Farmsin the west of the city, during the initial assault.
The three women were sitting near the front of the bus when a woman, described as restless, sat down near them around 3 p.m.
This woman all of a sudden lunged at my daughter and ripped her glasses off her face and scratched her. She then went after my sister […]
testifies Patty Garside.
She adds that the driver urged the woman to stop her violent behavior and get off the bus, but to no avail.
Patty Garside and the two members of her family were repeatedly pushed and scratched.
Meanwhile, passengers watched the incident unfold without intervening, some even preferring to record the scene with their phones, she said.
Not at the end of their pain
Patty Garside, her daughter and her sister finally managed to get the woman off the bus, but they were not at the end of their sentence.
When they arrive at the transit center, where Patty Garside made a statement for the police by telephone, they find themselves again facing their executioner.
The woman attacks three or four young girls who have just gotten off another bus, she continues. Patty Garside comes to their aid, but she attacks the group.
She targeted my daughter again. I yelled at him. She went for my sister, grabbed her by the arm and punched her in the face. I then intervened, wiping his blows
says Patty Garside.
Eventually another driver forced the woman onto a bus and the police arrived minutes later, she said.
According to the Edmonton Police Service, a 35-year-old woman has been charged in connection with the attacks. She faces six counts of assault and three counts of causing a disturbance and breaching conditions.
Patty Garside points out that she and her sister both suffered concussions and had to be taken to hospital.
” I hope this horrible experience that happened to me and my family is even more of a wake up call that something needs to be done, that it needs to be a priority. »
City calls for help from provincial government to improve passenger safety on public transportation (Archives).
Photo: CBC/Dave Bajer
The City promises answers
These incidents occurred on 1er May follow a string of similar incidents on Edmonton’s public transit system.
On April 25, a 78-year-old woman, Sharda Devi Naidu, was violently pushed as she waited at a light rail station. She had her right leg broken.
His alleged attacker, a 20-year-old, was arrested the following day while threatening a man with bear spray at the Churchill LRT station in downtown Edmonton.
The City has promised to improve the safety of public transport, in particular through local services and additional security measures.
Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said last week that rising crime and transit disorder are symptoms of broader societal problems, citing homelessness and drug addiction. drugs.
To solve these problems, the city needs the help of the provincial government, he added.
With information from Wallis Snowden and Janice Johnston
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca