Bus driver held at knife-point during hijacking
A 33 year old man has since been arrested
Last updated 20th Jan 2019
The driver of a Translink bus was threatened by a man armed with a knife in Dundonald.
The man was waiting at the bus stop on Cairnsmore Avenue in Ballybeen shortly before 8pm when he got on and threateed the driver.
The man forced him to drive for a distance before forcing him and passengers off the bus at knifepoint.
The bus was then involved in a collision a short distance away at which point the hijacker fled.
Police arrested the 33 year old suspect in Millars Lane a short time later.
He remains in custody at present.
A Translink spokesperson said:
“We can confirm a 4A Metro bus was hijacked and damaged in the Ballybeen area just before 8.00pm last night. (Saturday 19th January 2019)
“The driver and 8 passengers were ordered off the bus. There were no reports of any injuries.
“After the incident, services were suspended in the Ballybeen area whilst the incident was investigated, however normal services were resumed later in the evening.
“We totally condemn any threat to our staff or customers and are assisting the PSNI with their investigations into the incident”
Any witnesses to the incident are asked to contact police by calling 101, quoting reference 1229 19/01/19.