Elderly man ‘punched and kicked’ by thug in row over bus seat in Birmingham

West Midlands Police has launched an investigation after an elderly man was allegedly attacked in a row over a bus seat.

The pensioner, aged in his 80s, was reported to have been “punched and kicked” after the disagreement on board a Birmingham bus.

A woman in her 50s, who was also on the bus, tried to help the man but was herself then racially abused and assaulted.

The incident is said to have taken place on board the number 74 bus travelling along Soho Road, Handsworth near Grove Lane.

The bus was heading out of Birmingham city centre when the incidents occurred at around 12.45pm on December 1.

An appeal has now been launched by West Midlands Police, with officers sharing a photo of a man they wish to speak to in connection with the incident.

A spokesperson from West Midlands Police said: “We want to speak to him after another man, aged in his 80s, was punched and kicked after a disagreement over a bus seat.

“A woman in her 50s, who tried to come to his aid, was racially abused and then assaulted herself.”

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

Cheese recall warning: One dead after E. coli outbreak spreads across UKEnglish footballer Gemma Wiseman found dead in woodlands days before ChristmasRemainers LIVID as Brexiteer and Wetherspoons creator nominated to receive knighthood

The statement added: “”It happened on the number 74 bus which was travelling along Soho Road, out of Birmingham, at around 12.45pm on Friday, December 1.

“The assaults occurred near to Grove Lane.

“We are particularly keen to speak to a passenger who boarded near to Waverhill Road, and left at the Grove Lane stop, as they could have important information.

“You can contact us via 101, and quote reference 20/1043132/23, or use the Live Chat option at west-midlands.police.uk.”

Earlier this year, BirminghamLive reported bus offences surged from 3,709 in 2021/22 to 5,189 in 2022/23.

West Midlands Police partly put the spike in offending down to targeted operations and searches by officers on board.

However, senior officers admitted rowdy and thuggish behaviour by yobs towards ordinary passengers was among their most pressing concerns.

Violence against the person rose from 1,282 in the previous 12-month period to 1,700, arson and criminal damage went up from 671 to 1,102, robberies increased from 269 to 379 while public order incidents rose from 768 to 937.