A GANG of rowdy passengers has allegedly launched a vicious attack on a protective services officer (PSO) after he tried to remove them from a bus in Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs.
The PSO suffered facial injuries and was taken to the Austin Hospital after he was knocked to the ground and assaulted at Heidelberg train station just before midnight on Saturday.
Witnesses said the attackers were causing a ruckus on the city-bound bus, when the driver pulled over on Mount Road and requested the help of three officers at the railway station.
The PSOs entered the bus and after exchanging words with the hoodlums, tried to remove them.
But one of the commuters reportedly jumped on a PSOs back outside the bus, causing him to fall to the ground, before up to five men surrounded him and assaulted him.
His fellow PSOs then used pepper spray to subdue his attackers, but innocent bystanders were also stung in the face with the spray.
A passenger on the bus, only known as Ricky, said up to a dozen young men were being “rowdy” on the bus, which was carrying about half its capacity.
He said he was among the innocent bystanders who were hit with the pepper spray.
“I believe it was mostly the people who were intended to get sprayed (who were hit), but it was a case of wrong place, wrong time,” he said.
“He was on the ground and the pepper spray had to happen.
“The PSO’s continued to take the boys off and he got attacked and the pepper spray came out.
It just went on from there. He went to the ground, and they just attacked him.”
Police said a 20-year-old man, from Kangaroo Ground, was questioned and is expected to be charged on summons over the assault.
Source: Heraldsun