Transit Police are asking for the public to help identify a suspect who allegedly stole a cell phone from a 19-year-old man in a wheelchair while he was aboard a bus in Surrey.
The incident happened on Sept. 12 when the victim was on a 96 B-Line bus that travels between Guildford mall and Newton Exchange, according to a Transit Police press release.
Police say a woman approached the man as the bus stopped near 80th Avenue and King George Boulevard and “quickly grabbed his mobile phone.”
After a brief struggle, police say the man – who is paralyzed in one hand – could no longer hold on and the suspect was able to “rip the phone from his grip” and leave the bus.
While police say he tried to yell for help, the bus driver did not hear him.
Video released by @TransitPolice as they search for a woman who allegedly stole a cell phone from a 19yo man in a wheelchair on a #SurreyBC bus. He was headed to KPU for class as the time.
Police helped pay off outstanding debt on the phone, in order for him to get a new one. pic.twitter.com/N7bKQD8Gpy
— Amy Marie Reid (@amyreid87) September 25, 2019
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At the time of the incident, the man was on his way to Kwantlen Polytechnic University where he was “working toward improving his independence and job skills,” police stated in a release.
“His mobile phone meant a great deal to him as the large screen of the iPhone 6S helped make texting and reading easier for him. Given the circumstances, the officers investigating this file helped to pay off the outstanding debt on the phone, in order for him to acquire a new phone,” the release notes.
The suspect is described as a Caucasian female of an undetermined age, approximately five feet four to five feet five inches tall with a slim build and blonde hair. She was wearing a brown hoodie with green designs, brown/greening running tights and green running shoes at the time.
Transit Police say it is “extremely troubling and hard to understand what would lead someone to commit an act like this.”
Anyone with information about the identity of the suspect, or who was witness to the incident, is asked to call Transit Police’s tip line at 604-516-7419 or text using the code 87-77-77 referring to file number 2019-16866.
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