Dispute over face mask led to Surrey bus brawl, transit police say

A fight broke out on a bus in Surrey, B.C., after a passenger confronted a man for not wearing a mask, Metro Vancouver Transit Police say.

The incident happened at 9:30 a.m. PT Sunday near 96th Avenue and 120th Street. Police say the male passenger noticed a man who wasn't wearing a mask board the bus.

The passengeroffered the man who had just boarded a mask from his bag, but he declined.

When the man without a mask was asked if he was medically exempt from wearing one, he became belligerent, police say.

When the original passenger stood up to confront the other man, the man punched him in the head and a fight broke out, police say.

The suspect then got off the bus, police said, andthe original passenger was taken to hospital and treated for a cut above his eye.

Non-medical face masks have been mandatory on TransLink and BC Transit since August, but transit police say there are exemptions to the mask policy, and not all disabilities or medical conditions are visible.

"We strongly urge members of the public that if they come across an individual who is not wearing a mask, to distance themselves rather than question or confront the individual," Const. Mike Yake said in an email.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact transit police at 604-515-8300 and refer to file 20-17732.