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Man who threatened SeaBus passengers with knife faces charges

A North Vancouver SeaBus passenger who threatened other passengers with a knife after being told to turn his music down is facing criminal charges.

 The SeaBus departs North Vancouver. File photo Cindy Goodman/North Shore NewsThe SeaBus departs North Vancouver. File photo by Cindy Goodman/North Shore News

A North Vancouver SeaBus passenger who threatened other passengers with a knife after being told to turn his music down is facing criminal charges.

The on-board drama broke out May 7 as the SeaBus crossed between North Vancouver and Waterfront Station in Vancouver around 7:30 p.m.

During the crossing, one rider was causing “a bit of a commotion on board” by playing loud music on some kind of speaker system, said Sgt. Clint Hampton of the Metro Vancouver Transit Police.

As the SeaBus came into dock, another passenger approached and asked the music man to dial down the tunes or put some headphones on.

An argument quickly followed.

At that point a second passenger stepped in to intervene in the dispute.

That’s when the SeaBus serenader pulled out a folding knife with a three- to five-inch blade and started waving it around and threatening other passengers, said Hampton.

“What if I put this in your ribs?” the man allegedly said. “How do you think that’s going to feel?”

The man also allegedly threatened to throw those questioning his right to blast tunes into Burrard Inlet, according to a witness.

That witness called transit police, whose officers happened to be doing patrols in the area, and the suspect was arrested.

Oliver Frank Thomas, 26, of North Vancouver has been charged with threatening and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose. He is scheduled to make an appearance in Downtown Community Court in Vancouver on May 24.