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Canadian police say a civilian who boarded an Ontario Transit bus with about 10 passengers for recreational purposes did not leave “so much as a sound.”
Police said the man, who was driving an articulated bus on a route through the city, discreetly refused entry to passengers who tried to board the bus with expired bus passes.
“It’s comical, but it’s serious at the same time. We’re thankful no one was hurt,” Hamilton police spokesman Trevor McKenna said, according to CNN affiliate CBC.
This fun ride happened on Tuesday night after the real bus driver arrived at the terminal and got off to take a break.
The man then got into the bus and drove off, stopping multiple times to let passengers in and out, according to a press release from Hamilton Police on Wednesday.
McKenna said the passengers didn’t realize at first that the man behind the wheel wasn’t actually the real bus driver, but when the man started going the wrong way, they helped him by pointing him in the right direction, CBC reported.
Hamilton police said they followed the bus “keeping in mind the potential risk to public safety.” They worked with Hamilton Street Railway to access the bus’s GPS and keep the siren on.
“We didn’t want to scare him,” McKenna said. “We didn’t want this to be a tragedy.”
Approximately 15 minutes later, police safely stopped the bus and took the suspect into custody without incident. There were no injuries.
The suspect, whose name has not been released by police, of no fixed address, is charged with theft and possession of more than $5,000, interfering with police and driving while prohibited, according to a press release. He is scheduled to appear in court to answer all charges.
