Teen with physical disabilities has mobile stolen while travelling on city bus

SURREY, B.C. – Police say a man with physical disabilities who was recently riding a bus in Surrey, B.C., had his cellphone ripped from his hand.

Metro Vancouver Transit Police are looking for a female suspect in the alleged theft at 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 12.

The 19-year-old man, who was in a wheelchair, was on the 96 B-Line bus in the area of 80th Avenue and King George Boulevard when police say he was approached by a woman.

Police say the man’s iPhone 6S was ripped from his hand after a brief struggle, and he wasn’t heard by the bus driver when he attempted to yell for help.

The man was travelling to Kwantlen Polytechnic University, where police say he is enrolled in a program that helps improve his independence.

Officers who investigated the case have helped pay off the man’s outstanding debt on the stolen phone, which police say was done to help him get a replacement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2019.