Woman who stole iPhone from teen in wheelchair on bus arrested: transit police

The woman who stole an iPhone from a teen in a wheelchair while on a TransLink bus in Surrey last month has been arrested, said Metro Vancouver Transit Police.

“I’m happy to report we’ve identified and arrested that female and that’s thanks to a member of the public,” said Sgt. Clint Hampton in a video posted on the Metro Vancouver Transit Police Twitter account.

#MVTPMediaRelease -Update. An appeal to the public, by @TransitPolice, has led to the identity and arrest of a suspect who allegedly stole a mobile phone from a young man with physical disabilities who is a wheelchair user. https://t.co/6ELXo8zrbE pic.twitter.com/h5ZgfQwK49

— Sgt. Clint Hampton (@SgtCHampton) October 2, 2019

“We received a call that the female was loitering outside a convenience store. We attended and we were able to place her under arrest.”

According to police, the incident took place on the 96 B-Line, around 7:30 am on September 12, while the bus was travelling from Guildford Mall Exchange to Newton Exchange.

As the bus stopped in the area of 80th Avenue and King George Boulevard in Surrey, a woman allegedly approached the 19-year-old victim and quickly grabbed his mobile phone, which he was holding in front of him.

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At the time of the incident, police said the victim was on his way to a program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, “where he is working toward improving his independence and job skills.”

The suspect is identified as 32-years-old with no fixed address who is “well-known” to police.

“Her next court appearance will be on October 22, at 9 am in Surrey Provincial Court,” said Hampton.

“I once again want to thank the public and the media for the attention they brought to this file.”

Oh man this is SO nice… it was our pleasure to act as a conduit for people’s generosity. We are thrilled that Nathan got a phone – big props to @TELUS and ALL the @cknw listeners who reached out to help. And kudos on making an arrest! 🎉 https://t.co/6LHBd94neA

— Lynda Steele 🎙 (@steeletalk) October 2, 2019

Hampton also thanked CKNW’s Lynda Steele Show and TELUS for helping Transit Police get the man a new phone.

With files from Eric Zimmer.