KING COUNTY, Wash. — The violence on King County Metro buses couldn’t be ignored after driver Shawn Yim was sprayed with mace, kicked and later stabbed to death in December. Yim was on duty at the time.
“Every operator I’ve spoken to over the last ten years has said it’s going to take one of us getting murdered to get the action we need,” says Greg Woodfill, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587.
Woodfill says Yim’s death highlights the lack of protections for local operators.
“365 days a year, seven days a week. Anyone can get assaulted at any time,” says Tonya Abernathy. She’s driven a King County bus for seven years.
Abernathy says currently, a driver’s only real defense is themselves and a plexiglass barrier. The barriers were installed during the pandemic to guard against viruses, not violence.
“That’s what we kind of call a sneeze-guard,” says Woodfill.
A guard against viruses, not violence.
An exclusive video obtained by KIRO 7 shows what local drivers are up against. In one, an unruly passenger crawls underneath the plexiglass shield. The driver is forced to jump over him to safety.
Another video shows an unprompted attack, where a passenger pushes the plexiglass away to fight the driver. The driver fights back.
“This unfortunately is not a one-off. We see driver assaults far too frequently,” says Casey McNerthney with the King County Prosecutor’s Office.
Last year, prosecutors charged at least 17 people in King County with assault of a transit driver. It’s a felony.
A public records request by KIRO 7 disclosed the payouts going to King County Metro drivers each year, because of on-duty assaults.
More than $337,000 in payouts in 2023, after 20 injury claims by drivers.
Payouts surpassed $304,000 in 2024 after 31 injury claims.
“King County is self-insured, so most likely any money in a situation like that would come from King County,” says Sean Hawks with King County Metro.
A spokesperson from the King County Executive’s Office tells KIRO 7, “The compensation is from the general fund which would mean taxpayer dollars.”
This week a prototype was unveiled by King County Metro to securely separate drivers from incoming threats. The prototype is a floor-to-ceiling panel that would prevent any unruly passenger from coming into contact with a driver.
“This will give you the peace of mind to operate your bus and not have to have someone come up and punch you, stab you or choke you,” says Woodfill, who supports the prototype.
But implementation on all metro buses is likely a year and a half away. King County Metro hopes to begin installing the secure barriers in August and estimates that it would take about a year to retrofit their whole fleet; about 1,300 buses. Until then, drivers like Abernathy will be on high alert.
“We pretty much depend on ourselves,” says Abernathy. “Because we don’t feel like we have the support from the politicians, the law enforcement.”
A spokesperson with the King County Executive’s Office tells KIRO 7, ‘The tragic loss of Shawn Yim further reinforced operator support, emphasizing the need for a larger and stronger partition primarily focused on security. Metro and the Executive office are actively prioritizing operator safety and continuing efforts to enhance protections.’
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