Man charged after attacks on Fraser Valley Express bus in Abbotsford caught on video

Update Jan. 30, 2023:David Allen Lucas pleaded guilty totwo charges assault and assault with a weapon, according to the B.C. Prosecution Service.He was sentenced to time served and one day in jail, along with 12 months of probation and a five-year firearm ban.He received credit for 126 days in custody for the assault with a weapon charge and 60 days credit for the assault charge.

A Surrey man has been arrested and charged after he was seen to attack numerous passengers on a B.C. Transit bus in Abbotsford.

David Allen Lucas, 45, was caught on video throwing punches at passengers in the back of the 66 Fraser Valley Express bus on Sunday, leaving four of them with minor injuries.

The video was posted to social media by one of the assault victims, whom CBC News has agreed not to name due to fears about her safety.

The victim says Lucas was drinking beer onboard the bus around 4 p.m. Sunday and being verbally abusive towardtwo couples sitting opposite him.

WATCH | Man throws punches before being physically restrained:

Passenger video shows assault on bus in Abbotsford

2 years ago

Duration 1:01

Four passengers were injured after being assaulted on a B.C. Transit bus on April 24.

After the victim spoke up, saying the couples were clearly not interested in talking to him, the victim says he threw the beer can at her.

"As soon as he had thrown the beer at me, that's when I started recording," she told CBC News. "I just wanted to record cause I had the feeling at that point that it might escalate further and I would need that as evidence."

Soon thereafter, one of the male passengers said something to Lucas, which caused him to brazenly attack numerous other passengers "almost at random,"according to the victim.

The bus driver then called police while several passengers worked to restrain Lucas.

"There was at least a half dozen of us who had to give statements that were put in harm's way because of him," the victim said. "He did some damage."

None of the victims required hospitalization, according to police, but the victim said she was sore for a day after the incident.

Lucas has now been charged with one count of assault with a weapon and three counts of assault. It's not clear if the thrown beer can was the weapon.

He has been released from custody on a series of court-ordered conditions, according to the Abbotsford Police Department.

'Rare' incident

"Incidents like this are rare," said Const. Paul Walker in a statement. "We are grateful for the actions of these citizens who intervened, likely preventing further passengers from being injured."

The victim said a similar incident had not happened to her "for a long time" on transit.

"But this kind of stuff does happen, and it just makes you feel very vulnerable because there's not much you can do," she said. "If the guy in question, if he had had a weapon there, it would have been an extremely terrifying situation."

The victim said the B.C. Transit driver acted "wonderfully" in the situation, and applauded him for his prompt action.

She also said that she was happy the other passengers rallied together to restrain the attacker instead of getting violent and escalating the situation further.