He says he was sprayed twice with a bear, brandished a gun and was attacked with a knife – and that was only during the first seven weeks of working security for the Edmonton Transit Service.
A local man talks about his experience and he showed a bag of documents to support his claims.
“The young lady hit me with her bag … 3:00 a.m. when I was sprayed with a bear,” the man said as he reviewed witness testimony before the Edmonton Police Department.
CTV News Edmonton agreed not to name him for security reasons. He has been in the security industry for decades and was recently hired through a contractor to monitor LRT stations.
“The city just wants us to monitor and report,” he said. “This is the worst, because we are not allowed to do anything.”
He tells of a time when he tried to protect a lady who asked a man to stop vandalizing city property.
She had told him something about dying. And he said, “Is that what you mean?” And then you know the bear sprayed her. In fact, I tried to stop him and got a short slap in the face, ”he recalls.
He also says he saw a gun while working.
“It was real and it was charged.”
And he said he was once attacked with a knife.
“If it weren’t for my vest, he would have stabbed me.
NARCAN has also been used several times a day in people who have suffered from opioid overdose or poisoning, he said, especially during the night shift.
“After 01:30 you are no longer guarding, you are looking after children. You have to watch these people.
He said not all the people he worked with were homeless, but he believed many of them were gang members.
When he contacted CTV News Edmonton about what he was feeling, he said: “I was stopped and removed from all ETS sites.”
His employer told him he was not fired for these reasons, but a spokesman did not want to give more details.
The security guard hopes to return to work, but there are some changes he wants to see.
These include: allowing only people who buy train tickets to enter stations, stricter compliance with the rules of madness and security guards uniting with peacekeepers in large numbers.
CTV News Edmonton turned to the city of Edmonton for a specific answer to this story.
CITY ADDITION EMPLOYEES, SOCIAL WORKS
On Thursday, the mayor issued a statement on transit safety and said 21 new transit police officers were being recruited.
“Let me be clear – illegal activity is not welcome in our transit system. “There is no tolerance for violence or threatening behavior,” wrote Amarjit Sohi.
He added that he believes the root causes of crime in and around transit centers are complex and require more help from the provincial government.
The city also adds more public transportation teams that specialize in mental health, addictions and housing.
With files by Joe Scarpelli from CTV News in Edmonton
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