ESCONDIDO — A man accused of repeatedly stabbing an MTS bus driver in Escondido pleaded not guilty on Aug. 9 to attempted murder and attempted robbery charges, in what local prosecutors say is indicative of a rise in violent crimes taking place on public transportation.
Mario Joseph Felix, 50, was arrested for allegedly stabbing the victim on Wednesday night after being told he couldn’t ride the bus for free.
Felix allegedly became angered, threatened to kill the driver and demanded his wallet, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.
He then allegedly stabbed the driver in the stomach, shoulder and back. Though the driver was able to push Felix out of the bus, Felix jumped back on, stabbed the driver once more and walked away, the D.A.’s Office alleges.
Paramedics took the driver to a hospital, where he was admitted for non-life-threatening wounds, Escondido police said.
Witnesses who followed Felix pointed him out to police, who arrested him in a hiding spot behind a dumpster, according to the D.A.’s Office.
Felix faces up to 65 years to life in state prison if convicted of all counts. He is being held in county jail without bail.
Prosecutors say the case is part of a trend of recent prosecutions involving alleged violent crimes and local transit systems.
The D.A.’s Office said that between January of 2022 and April of this year, more than 1,200 prosecutions “involved a transit element, such as a passenger, worker, vehicle or transit facility such as MTS or NCTD” and 35% of those cases involved a violent crime charge.
“Bus drivers and transit workers have been increasingly subjected to violence as they perform their important and essential jobs,” San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement. “This case is a horrific example of an escalating threat that makes the already-difficult job of transit workers more dangerous.”