Man armed with meat cleaver attacks passenger on SEPTA bus, police say

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia police arrested a SEPTA bus passenger who was armed with a meat cleaver and attacked another rider early Thursday morning.

It happened around 2:30 a.m., right by police headquarters at Broad and Callowhill streets.

According to authorities, an officer had just pulled up to police headquarters to do paperwork when someone approached him. The person said there was a man with a machete on a bus that stopped right by the building.

The officer went on the Broad Street Line Night Owl bus and saw a man with a meat cleaver, not a machete, police said. Witnesses told police the man attacked another passenger.

The victim was bleeding heavily on the bus, with cuts on his head and hands. Medics rushed the 45-year-old man to the hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

The bus driver and many passengers stayed on the scene to give police information about the attack. They told investigators the suspect was speaking incoherently during the ride. A motive was not immediately clear, but police said the attacker and victim did not know each other.

SEPTA cameras on the bus recorded the incident, so police have that footage to work with as they continue their investigation.