KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Transport and Mining, Lester Mike Henry, is applauding the actions of two Jamaican Urban Transport Company (JUTC) employees and passengers who prevented a robbery on a bus in Portmore, St Catherine.

Reports are that a man armed with a gun, boarded the bus on the River Road route in Portmore shortly after 6:00 pm and attempted to rob the driver. It is reported that the gun man pulled the trigger but the gun failed to fire, Henry said.

Another JUTC employee, who was travelling on the bus, took swift action and disarmed the assailant, where a struggle ensued, which resulted in the employee being stabbed. Passengers assisted him and were able to detain the would-be robber.

Henry also commended the passengers on the bus for their actions. The gunman and weapons were turned over to the police and the injured man is now recuperating at home.

The transport minister said that this speaks to the wider issue of crime in the society and the efforts of the JUTC employees and passengers indicate that the people of Jamaica will no longer sit idly by and allow the few miscreants to hold them at ransom.

He also made reassurances that the JUTC will not allow incidents such as this to prevent them from providing service to the Jamaican people.