In the wake of a shocking incident, Grace Urwin has sworn off the use of public transportation. The teenager from Cochrane, Alberta, fell prey to a violent robbery in Calgary on Saturday, an experience that has rattled her faith in the city’s public transit system. The 16-year-old now intends to pour her saved funds into buying a car of her own.
Urwin’s ordeal started aboard a CTrain on Saturday afternoon, around 1:30 p.m. She had set off from Tuscany Station with a friend, en route to Market Mall, when she inadvertently stepped off at Dalhousie Station. At this point, two individuals caught her attention by their consistent observation of her.
Fearing potential trouble, Urwin chose to board the train again, aiming for Brentwood Station. Here, she and her companion disembarked and ventured toward the bus loop.
As Urwin consulted a directory sign, the two individuals who had previously evoked suspicion reappeared on the scene, initiating a distressing attack. She reported that she was physically assaulted and bear-sprayed, with the assailants demanding her shoes and threatening her with severe consequences.
“They were wrestling me for my phone, landing punches on my head,” she recounted. Subsequently, they robbed her phone, assaulted her with bear spray, and took flight. The distressed teenager summoned help and awaited assistance from paramedics and police officers.
Notably, a 17-year-old male and female have since been arrested, each slapped with dual robbery charges. The male suspect faces an additional charge for possession of a weapon posing a public danger.
Police, following reports of bear spray deployment in a CTrain car, apprehended the duo around 8:15 p.m. Both offenders cannot be publicly identified per the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Affirming the police’s stringent stance on such misdemeanors, District 3 Insp. Paul Wozney stated, “We’re taking a zero-tolerance approach to this. Enforcement is crucial when addressing such issues. You can’t have a system that continuously redirects individuals to other public spaces without charging them.”
Julie, Urwin’s mother, watchfully spoke of her palpable fear during the incident. “It was just two friends heading out for lunch to the mall,” she noted, adding, “Either she gets herself a car or I’ll drive her everywhere.”
Meanwhile, in light of the incident, Calgary Transit has emphasized its commitment to curbing violence and crime on its services, strengthening patrols in recent months. The persistent efforts are exhibiting remarkable progress, with crime rates seeing a noticeable downward trend at transit shelters and CTrain platforms.
More peace officers are being trained, with 12 seasoned recruits anticipated to begin patrolling in September and their remaining colleagues slated to join them in November.
Addressing the seasonality effect on security concerns, Aaron Coon, Chief of Public Vehicle Standards, pointed out a significant decline during summer months. The colder months, showing a spike in vulnerable individuals seeking shelter in the transit system, see this number drop by 78% in the summer. Such fluctuations require varying support needs from the outreach program.
