Dec. 18 (UPI) -- A Seattle bus driver was stabbed to death early Wednesday morning while driving his route near the University of Washington campus. The death marks the first on-the-job killing for the regional transit system in 26 years.
Shawn Yim, 59, was operating a King County Metro bus on University Way Northeast, when officers said he got into "physical altercation" with a passenger on the bus and was stabbed in the chest shortly before 3 a.m. PST.
Seattle Police say Yim, who had driven for Metro since 2015, managed to get off of the bus, but collapsed in a nearby alley. He could not be revived.
Investigators are still looking for the suspect, who they describe as a man, 6-foot 1-inch tall and wearing a blue jacket when he fled the scene. Officers conducted a K9 search for the suspect, "yet they were unsuccessful."
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Investigators towed the bus as evidence and will be pulling surveillance footage. They also have requested surveillance images from the surrounding area.
"This is a very dark and tragic day for our operator and his family. There have been many tears in our agency," Elaine Porterfield with King County Metro told KIRO 7. "It's just a tragic morning. This is vanishingly uncommon to have happen to one of our operators and people are reeling."
Amalgamated Transit Union in Seattle on Wednesday demanded emergency funds to protect their workers and bus riders amid rising violence that has included attacks on drivers with pepper spray, urine and spit, in addition to a rise in robbery, drug use and sexual assault on buses.
"Shawn's tragic murder in the line of duty is unacceptable. Our bus drivers deserve to be able to go to work and come home safely each day," said Local 587 president Greg Woodfill. "It is long overdue for King County Metro to make real changes to ensure our members and riders are safe on our buses, at bus stops and at transit centers."
The last time a King County Metro bus driver was killed while on the job was in November 1998. Driver Mark McLaughlin was shot to death while driving over the Aurora Bridge in Seattle. The bus plunged off the bridge and onto the roof of an apartment. A passenger was killed and 32 others were injured.
On Wednesday, King County Executive Dow Constantine said he was called in the middle of the night about the latest murder as he vowed to bring the suspect to justice.
"What happened today is an outrageous act of violence against a front-line public servant," Constantine told reporters. "There can be no excuse for it and we will not accept it."
