A man has been arrested in connection to a fatal stabbing of a teenage boy on a bus in Surrey.
Homicide investigators announced Monday that Kaiden Brady Robert Mintenko, 20, was arrested at a local residence Sunday. The Burnaby man has since been charged with second-degree murder in connection to Ethan Bespflug's death.
The 17-year-old was on a bus near the King George Skytrain Station when the altercation occurred just before 9:30 p.m. on April 11. He later died in the hospital.
Investigators say the attack wasn't random, and the two knew each other through a third party, but they would not elaborate more on that connection.
The man charged is known to police, according to Sgt. Timothy Pierotti of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT). Mintenko remains in custody.
Bespflug's family reports that he was on his way home when the attack occurred.
"Ethan was a young, bright boy unarmed, and now his mother will forever be waiting for him to get off that bus," writes his aunt Andrea Van Der Gracht on a GoFundMe page. "He woke up and went to school in the morning and never came back.
Police have increased patrols around the transit hub since Bespflug's death.
"Such violence ... it generates fear in our society," says Surrey RCMP Officer-in-charge Brian Edwards.
Police are asking any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police to contact IHIT at 1-87-551-4448.
“We would like to thank all members of the public who provided information that helped advance this investigation,” says Pierotti.
Timeline of violent incidents on transit
April 1: A man’s throat was slashed while riding a transit bus in Surrey at 9:30 a.m. Transit police and Surrey RCMP quickly located the suspect, who was arrested for attempted murder. Police say it was a disturbing and unprovoked assault. Abdul Aziz Kawam, the suspect, appeared in Surrey provincial court on April 3 and will be held in custody pending his next court appearance.
April 10: A person was attacked and stabbed at the Columbia SkyTrain Station in New Westminster at about 11 p.m. The person was taken to the hospital and police say an altercation took place between two groups of people inside the SkyTrain station. The victim and suspects are not believed to have known each other.
April 11: A 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death after an altercation with a person on a bus. Police say the bus was near the King George SkyTrain station when the stabbing happened and Ethan Bespflug died in the hospital. Police arrested a 20-year-old Burnaby man in connection to the death.
April 12: A violent fight broke out on a bus in West Vancouver. A man boarded the 250 Blue Bus to Vancouver near Marine Drive and 20th Street around 2 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon and got in a physical fight with another passenger.
April 14: A serious assault took place on a TransLink bus near Hasting Street and Jackson Avenue. A 60-year-old man was taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
April 15: One man was transported to the hospital after a stabbing on a Metro Vancouver SkyTrain. It happened just after 1 a.m. on Saturday on a train at Surrey Central SkyTrain Station. The man stabbed is in his 20s and is no longer in the hospital.
