'Swarming' attack by 10 to 15 young people leaves 2 transit workers hurt, Toronto police say

Toronto police are investigating a "swarming" assault of two TTC employees on a bus in Scarborough on Monday afternoon, police and the transit agency say.

Police said the assaults happened on abusin the area of Kennedy and Merrian roads, south of Eglinton Avenue East. Officerswere called to the bus at about 3:35 p.m and went to the scene with TTC special constables.

About 10 to 15 young people attacked the uniformed employees and leftthem with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. The attackersfled the area on foot.

The two employees were treated on the scene. A third employee, the bus driver, was traumatized by the attack, according to the TTC.

Police have not released a description of the suspects.

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said the two employees were on their way to Kennedy subway station when the attack happened.

"We have three TTC employees who were victimized by this attack today. It's an absolutely despicable act against our employees," he said.

Green said the TTC is concerned about the attack, another attack on a TTC employee on the weekend, and recent attacks against passengers.

"These are all of concern to us," Green said. "I mean the TTCat itscore is a public transit agency, yet we find ourselves in the position of having to address very complex social issues as well."

Green said the TTCis workingto provide its employees and customers with a sense of safety and security. The budget calls for additional special constables as well as new streets-to-homes workers this year.

"There's clearly something larger at play here. It is a larger societal issue atplay that is outside of the domain ofthe TTC, but you know, clearly they're manifesting on the TTC and so we need to be part of those discussions and we are," he said.

"We absolutely understand, when these things happen, that they give our customers and our employees pause. There's no question they are concerning events. The context that I put around these is that we move millions of people a day. We move hundreds of millions of people every year without incident," he added.

"On days when there are incidents, they are of great concern to everybody and we understand that and that's why we've invested and redeployed staff the way we have."

In a statement earlier, the TTCcondemned the act,sayingit isco-operatingfully with police and provideany video.

"Attacks on transit employees are covered under a special provision of the Criminal Code," the TTC added.

Under269.01(1)of the Criminal Code, when a person is convicted of assault involving a transit operator, the court can take into consideration"as an aggravating circumstance"the fact that the victim was a public transit operator.

The Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 113, saidin a news release on Monday thatthere must be accountability.

"Our members are disgusted with the repeated and escalated acts of violence against transit workers," Marvin Alfred, president of the local, said in the release.

"We will always advocate for our members, but we need support from the City of Toronto and the TTC too."

"These attacks leave long-term psychological impacts that remain with our members much after their physical wounds have healed," the release said. The union said it is continuingto ask for help from Toronto Mayor John Tory and TTC CEO Rick Leary.

"It's getting out of hand and public transit needs to be safe again for our workers and passengers."

Mayor expresses concern about recent violence

In a statement on Twitter on Monday, Tory said he was "concerned about the increasing number of criminal acts involving young people."

"I strongly believe this is something all governments have to work together to urgently address with social and mental health experts," he said.

Policeare urging anyone with any information to call 41 Division at416-808-4100.

On Saturday, a TTC operator was shot with a BB gun whilewaiting to begin her shift. The operator was not harmed physically.

The transit employee was standing outside near the intersection of Markham Roadand Progress Avenue in Scarborough shortly before 6:30 p.m. when a black sedan drove by and she was shot at.

Police saidthe suspects are described as white men, possibly teenagers.

Theswarming incidentcomes just over a month after another such attack, in which police say eight teen girls swarmed59-year-old Ken Lee, allegedly beating and stabbing him neara downtown homeless shelter.

Lee died shortly afterward in hospital.