Two Men Beat, Rob Sta Driver Man Later Arrested In South Hill Incident
Two men beat and robbed a Spokane Transit Authority bus driver early Wednesday morning, police said.
A 40-year-old man suspected of taking part in the robbery was later arrested.
The incident occurred about 12:30 a.m. on the South Hill.
The driver, who wasn’t identified, told police she was nearing 29th and Grand when she saw two men standing on the sidewalk. One of them ran up to the bus and began pounding on the door, she said.
She opened the door, and the men, carrying open beers, boarded.
When the driver told them they couldn’t have beer on the bus, one of the men cursed her, hit her in the face several times and grabbed some cash, police said. The bandits then ran off the bus.
The driver was taken to a local hospital where she was treated and released. Police using a dog searched the area but didn’t find anyone matching the description of the robbers.
About three hours later, the same officers who investigated the bus attack were sent to a reported burglary on East Hartson.
They chased a suspect later identified as 40-year-old John Roberson to his house on East Fifth. There, they arrested Roberson, and he was booked into jail on suspicion of residential burglary.
He also was booked on suspicion of being an accomplice to first-degree robbery after two witnesses told police he was one of the men involved in the bus incident.
The man suspected of hitting the bus driver is still on the loose, however. Police did not provide a detailed description of him.