SEPTA looking for bus rider who had gun pulled on him

SEPTA transit police released dramatic video footage Thursday of a man exiting a bus and pulling a gun on another rider.

Police say they have located the gunman. Their challenge now is finding his victim.

Transit Police Chief Thomas Nestel says there is likely enough evidence to charge the gunman with assault and related offenses. But he believes the victim's statement could help strengthen the case.

"This is our last-ditch attempt at locating him," Nestel said Thursday.

The incident occurred about 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 18 on a Route 23 bus traveling south on 12th Street. Police say two men on the bus got into a dispute around Wallace Street.

Upon exiting, one man pulled out a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol and pointed it at the other man, police said.

The bus driver tried to intervene, police said, but eventually drove away. He waited 20 minutes before notifying police.

None of the approximately 20 people on the bus called 911 either, Nestel said.

"I have more of a problem with the fact that there are at least 20 people on the bus and no one calls," he added when asked if he was concerned about the bus driver's delay in calling police.

The driver has declined to talk to police, Nestel said.

Video footage from inside the bus shows the victim speaking with the gunman, who is standing over him. After exiting together, the gunman then approaches the victim, pointing the weapon at him. The victim throws his hands in the air and backs away.

Transit police searched for the gunman along the bus' route for several weeks before finding him in Center City, they said. He was carrying a gun legally. Police confiscated the weapon.

"A permit provides you the opportunity to carry a firearm, not indiscriminately point it at people," Nestel said. "This is a violation of the law."

Nestel said he was hoping the victim or a witness would come forward.

"It's disheartening," he said. "It's a recurring theme - some people don't want to get involved. Well, this is a person with a gun.

"This is how people get shot. This is how people get killed."

Anyone with information can contact the transit police at 215-580-8111.