Montgomery County Police say a 28-year-old Metro bus driver was stabbed trying to help a female passenger.
Police responded at 12:20 a.m. Tuesday to the incident at the Wheaton Metro station, on Georgia Avenue near Reedle Drive.
According to authorities, passengers began to complain about a passenger exposing himself on the Y7 bus at the Silver Spring station.
The bus driver asked a 26-year-old female acquaintance to check on the subject, according to police. Investigators said the woman saw the man adjusting his clothing; the bus driver then asked the man, a 52-year-old, to respect the other passengers. The man, identified by police as Victor McEachin of Silver Spring, then came up behind the driver and began talking to him in a loud manner, police said.
The driver continued on his normal route, and pulled into the Wheaton station, where everyone exited the bus, including the driver.
Outside the bus, McEachin charged at the driver, but was blocked by the 26-year-old woman, police said. The suspect threw a punch at the female, but she was able to block it. The driver then intervened to assist the woman, and the two men became engaged in a physical altercation.
After a fight, the driver realized he had been stabbed several times in the abdomen.
McEachin fled the scene, but officers apprehended him nearby at University Boulevard West and Amherst Avenue. Police said the man was carrying a knife and a bag of marijuana when he was arrested.
Despite the multiple wounds, authorities said the bus driver's injuries are non-life threatening.
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