Passenger stabs driver of Greyhound bus heading to Las Vegas

A Greyhound bus driver was hospitalized with serious wounds Friday night after an “unruly” passenger stabbed him on a bus traveling from California to Las Vegas, Nevada Highway Patrol said in a statement Saturday.

The highway patrol received a call from the bus driver about 11 p.m. Friday, when the bus was northbound on Interstate 15, between Jean and Sloan, the statement said.

The driver said he was dealing with an “unruly passenger who (appeared) to be under the influence” and refused to leave the bus or sit down. The driver said the passenger was standing next to him on the bus, threatening him with a knife.

Dispatchers heard the men struggle, and the driver got back on the phone moments later reporting he had been stabbed.

The passenger then left the bus, ran across I-15 to the center median, and was seen stripping off his shirt and trying to punch passing cars, NHP said.

The driver, a 55-year-old man, was stabbed twice in the chest and once in the thigh and was taken to University Medical Center with serious, but survivable injuries, the release said.

Troopers took the passenger, 31-year-old Armando Juarez, into custody. He was taken to UMC, booked in absentia and charged with attempted murder with a deadly weapon.

The bus, which was carrying 23 passengers, was allowed to continue on its route to Las Vegas about 12:40 a.m.

Contact Kimber Laux at klaux@reviewjournal.com. Follow @lauxkimber on Twitter.