Surrey woman who assaulted mother, 3 children on bus pleads guilty

A woman who was arrested in the spring for assaulting a mother and her three kids has pleaded guilty for one charge of assault, one charge of assault with a weapon and one charge of uttering threats.

On May 20, the incident began at approximately 10 a.m. when Leah Susan MacKay was arguing over the non-payment of a transit fare on the No. 502 bus while traveling on Fraser Highway and was using profane language. When a woman asked her to stop swearing, MacKay threatened to kill the woman and her three children before throwing a drink at the youngest child that was barely a year old.

A 43-year-old Surrey woman has pleaded guilty to three of four criminal charges laid after a violent confrontation with a mother and her three children aboard a transit bus in Langley on May 20.

The mother then attacked MacKay in defence of her children, a incident that was recorded on smartphone by another bus passenger and later went viral online. This video and story was first shared and reported by Vancity Buzz the following day.

After the onboard bus fight, both women and the children were forced off the bus by the driver. When the bus was out of view, MacKay ran after the mother, produced a knife and attempted to stab her. In the process, the suspect knocked over the mother’s four-year-old daughter and kicked her two-year-old daughter in the back.

A Surrey RCMP officer recognized the description over the police broadcast as someone he had dealings with in the past. MacKay was swiftly arrested at her own Surrey residence at 10:40 a.m., about 20 minutes after the incident was first reported to police.

MacKay has been in jail ever since her arrest. She has been given two years probation and will be credited for 150 days of jail time for time already served.

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