Man punches through Metro bus window

Man punches through window of King County Metro bus

A video showing a man smashing through a Metro bus window and throwing glass at a passenger in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood has prompted transit officials to reiterate the need for improved transit and public safety.

SEATTLE - A video showing a man smashing through a Metro bus window and throwing glass at a passenger in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood has prompted transit officials to reiterate the need for improved transit and public safety.

The video, shared on Instagram, shows a man repeatedly punching through a King County Metro bus side window, yelling and tossing shards of broken glass at the person recording the video.

FOX 13 Seattle reached out to King County Metro to confirm the incident and learned that it happened on Monday, St. Patrick’s Day.

What they're saying:

"A person standing in the road vandalized a stationary Metro bus in Ballard by destroying the streetside window," said King County Metro Director of Communications Sean Hawks. "There were no injuries reported, although a rider was onboard at the time filming the incident on their phone."

man punches hole in metro bus windown instagram reel

A video posted on social media shows a man punching a hole through a Metro bus window and yelling at a passenger in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood.

Officials say police arrived at the scene near Caffe Fiore at the intersection of 32nd Avenue Northwest and Loyal Way Northwest, but they were unable to locate the suspect.

According to King County officials, a business owner located the suspect on Tuesday, who reported the sighting to a Metro bus driver, who then reported to Metro Transit Police. The suspect was arrested around 12:00 p.m.

What we don't know:

The Instagram post's caption claims that a couple was attacked by a man high on drugs, adding that witnesses described the incident as "just another fentanyl issue." However, Hawks noted that there is no information supporting the claim that the suspect was under the influence of a substance.

Greg Woodfill, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587, said incidents like this prompted him to call for the creation of a regional bus safety task force. This came after the death of a King County Metro bus driver in the University District just days before Christmas 2024.

"This is just another example of why we need a regional approach to tackling transit and public safety," Woodfill said. "Everyone needs to realize the billions of dollars invested in public transit are placed at risk if passengers don’t feel safe riding it, and transit employees don’t feel safe operating and maintaining it."

According to Woodfill, the task force’s first meeting is scheduled for Thursday.

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This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The Source: Information for this story came from King County Metro Director of Communications Sean Hawks, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 President Greg Woodfill and a social media post by @seattlesubmissions1 on Instagram.