Police arrested a 55-year-old man on suspicion of murder after he tried to stop an altercation between two people on a bus in downtown San Diego Saturday night and the man he was restraining died, police said.
The incident happened at about 8 p.m. in East Village, near the intersection of F and 14th streets, police said.
Police say the victim, a 28-year-old man, had gotten in an altercation with a female passenger on the bus — a verbal altercation that turned physical. Another passenger saw the altercation and “physically intervened” and restrained the victim for several minutes, police said.
While the victim was being restrained, he lost consciousness and went into medical distress. Police would not elaborate on how the victim was restrained.
When police arrived, they found the victim unresponsive and lying on the floor of the bus. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he died.
Police arrested the passenger who restrained him, Edward Hilbert, on suspicion of murder. Hilbert is being held in county jail without bail.
Lt. Steve Shebloski said none of the passengers involved in the incident knew each other. He said the female passenger, a woman in her 30s, was not hurt.
Police say it is early in the investigation and they are still interviewing the other bus passengers and collecting evidence. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call homicide investigators at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
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