Passenger charged after Vancouver bus driver hit in face with screwdriver

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. (CP) — A 23-year-old man has been charged over allegation that he attacked a Vancouver bus driver with a screwdriver, breaking his cheekbone.
Transit Police say Darren Lafferty of no fixed address has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to make his next court appearance on Nov. 28.

Police say a man boarded an empty bus on the morning of Oct. 10 without paying, sat near the driver and began fiddling with a screwdriver.

Police say the driver became nervous because he was alone and asked the man to move towards the back of the bus and while the passenger complied, he made threatening comments.

Police say the passenger walked back to the front of the bus and allegedly hit the driver in the face with the screwdriver, breaking his glasses, causing a cut near his left eye and fracturing his cheekbone.

Lafferty is well known to police and is charged with assault with a weapon.