DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver Police Department is searching for a suspect who stabbed an RTD bus passenger multiple times in June.
FOX31 has obtained new video showing the attack. It happened on the night of June 30 near East Colfax and Ogden Street.
WARNING: You can watch the video of the attack above. We want to warn you that some of the video may be disturbing or difficult to watch.
In the video you can see a man in an orange Carhartt sweatshirt talking on the phone. Suddenly the suspect stands up, reaches for a knife from the pocket of his hoodie, confronts the victim and starts stabbing him.
At the end of the video, a good Samaritan steps in and breaks up the attack, possibly saving the victim’s life.
The victim was stabbed 10 times in the shoulders and back.
FOX31 spoke with the victim, a 22-year-old man, who said he has autism, is bipolar and also deals with schizophrenia.
The victim said his attacker asked, “What are you looking at?” Then, he nearly lost his life.
The suspect is still on the loose. Here is a closer look at the suspect from images taken from the video:
If you recognize the attacker, police urge you to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
We reached out to RTD for an update on what security measures they are taking to keep passengers safe. This is what they shared with FOX31:
“Public transit is interwoven into the communities it serves; when a given area experiences increased incidence of crime and anti-social behaviors, so, too, are transit services impacted.
“RTD’s own internal police force is supported by dispatchers and video surveillance personnel and is supplemented by contracted security personnel and secondary employment officers from Denver and Aurora police departments.
“The RTD Transit Police Division has recently realigned its security personnel into impact teams dedicated to specific transit modes, such as bus or rail, or to specific outreach functions. Following a data-driven approach based on crime analysis allows for security personnel to be deployed in the areas of greatest need. Further, the agency is in the process of upgrading its on-board bus cameras to allow for live look-in capabilities, which will provide additional tools to enhance RTD’s security deployment and monitoring capabilities.”
Attacks on bus passengers and operators have been on the rise. Drivers reported safety and security concerns an average of 1.5 times per week in 2021.