A Las Vegas resident is dead after being fatally stabbed while riding a public bus within the city. The tragic incident occurred after the victim got into a verbal altercation with a fellow passenger.
A Clark County grand jury charged 59-year-old Aaron Cole with the murder of Dominique Lucas, 30, after the pair exchanged words on an RTC bus on Feb. 26, the New York Post said yesterday (March 23). In a video shown to the Las Vegas courtroom, moments before the deadly attack happened, Lucas yelled to Cole, “I wasn’t bothering you.” The two were sitting next to one another. It was after Lucas shouted those words that Cole took out a knife and began to repeatedly stab the unsuspecting passenger.
Lucas jumped from his seat and ran to the front of the bus in a panic, screaming, “Let me off” to the driver. Unfortunately, he continued along his route. Cole followed the frantic victim and stabbed him for approximately four more minutes. With nowhere to run, Lucas returned to his seat. The driver was then captured on the bus’ security video pressing a button to call for help. Police confirmed the fatal offense took place at 4:50 p.m. and officers arrived at the scene at 4:58 p.m. The Clark County coroner’s office revealed Lucas died as a result of his 33 stab wounds.
During court, a grand juror asked the driver if it was his duty to physically stop any passenger attacks. “Not that I know of,” the man responded, adding, “The first priority is your own safety, so I’ve got to make sure I’m safe enough to operate that bus for the other passengers also.” As of this week, the driver was still employed with the company. Cole, however, had run-ins with the law before the Las Vegas attack. Just 10 days before, he was arrested on a charge of assault with the use of a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed weapon concerning a separate bus incident. Also, from 1994 to 2017, Cole spent 23 years behind bars for second-degree murder.