A Metrobus passenger has been convicted of stabbing a bus driver who told him to stop masturbating.
A Montgomery County Circuit Court jury late Tuesday convicted 52-year-old Victor McEachin of attempted second-degree murder for stabbing the driver after an altercation near the Wheaton Metro station in October.
McEachin was also convicted of assault charges for attacking a female friend of the bus driver and could face up to 40 years in prison for the crimes, Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office spokesman Seth Zucker said Wednesday.
McEachin’s attorney could not be reached for comment.
Police said the incident began when the 28-year-old driver was operating his bus near the Silver Spring station shortly after midnight on Oct. 11 and another passenger told him that a man in the back of the bus — later identified as McEachin — was masturbating.
The driver asked a female acquaintance to check on passenger; she reported that he adjusted his clothing as if he were trying to cover himself, authorities said. The driver then asked McEachin to respect other passengers and behave appropriately.
The driver then drove to the Wheaton station as part of his normal Y7 route. There, other passengers got off the bus and McEachin and the driver got into a physical altercation, according to the police. The driver was stabbed in the stomach and was hospitalized after the incident. McEachin suffered minor injuries in the fight, authorities said.
McEachin also fought with the driver’s friend when she tried to intervene.
McEachin fled but was apprehended near University Boulevard West and Amherst Avenue, less than a half-mile away. He was carrying a knife with him when he was taken into custody, according to police.
The attack wasn’t the first time McEachin had a run-in with the law for a lewd incident. In October 2007, he was charged with indecent exposure and public urination, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to the public urination offense that December.
