Garner Bus Stop Horror: Second Stabbing In A Month Rattles Riders

A late-night bus stop wait in Garner turned violent on Tuesday when a rider was stabbed during an attempted robbery, leaving the victim hurt but expected to survive. The attack, near the Garner Performing Arts Center at Garner Road and Avery Street, triggered a K-9 search of the neighborhood and marked the second reported bus-stop stabbing in town in about a month.

Police: Attempted Robbery, Suspects Fled

According to CBS17, Garner police said two men walked up to the victim at the bus stop and tried to rob them. During the confrontation, one of the suspects stabbed the rider, then both men took off before officers got there, the station reported.

The victim was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that police described as non-life-threatening, according to CBS17. As of Wednesday morning, investigators had not identified the suspects.

Where It Happened

Wake County 911 received a call about a person stabbed near the Garner Performing Arts Center on Avery Street, and Garner’s K-9 unit was called in to search the surrounding area, according to WRAL.

Tuesday’s attack comes roughly a month after a woman was stabbed at a Purser Drive bus stop beside the Walmart Supercenter at 4500 Fayetteville Road on May 9, a case previously detailed in neck stabbing shocks Garner bus stop.

Police Ask For Tips

Garner police are asking anyone with information about the latest stabbing to call the department’s non-emergency line at 919-772-8810, according to CBS17. Detectives are canvassing the area, reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses as they try to track down the suspects.

Transit-Area Safety Concerns

The small cluster of transit-area attacks has put a fresh spotlight on safety along Garner Road and other Wake County corridors where people wait for the bus with little more than a sign and a patch of sidewalk for cover.

Regional planning documents already call for upgrades at several local stops. A draft MPO plan outlines work to “design, purchase, and install new amenities at 13 bus stop locations” that could improve visibility and give riders a bit more protection, according to MPO. Community leaders and riders will be watching to see whether those projects move forward while police continue to investigate this latest attack.