August 09, 2023
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner's office charged 32-year-old Heriberto Acevedo, Jr. for allegedly shooting at a SEPTA bus driver in July. Acevedo is facing aggravated assault and weapons charges for firing a gun at the driver over a dispute.
A 32-year-old man has been arrested and is facing charges for allegedly shooting at a SEPTA bus driver in July, District Attorney Larry Krasner announced on Wednesday alongside the transit authority's police.
At around 5:55 a.m. on July 14, Heriberto Acevedo Jr. argued with a SEPTA driver on the 4200 block of North Front Street over paying bus fare. After exiting the Route 57 bus, Acevedo allegedly shot a gun at a window of the bus in the direction of the driver. Nobody was injured.
Acevedo is charged with aggravated assault, gun possession, terroristic threats and reckless endangerment. Because of a prior gun conviction in 2018, Acevedo is not legally allowed to carry a gun.
"If you are thinking about committing a violent crime on SEPTA, this is your notice. You will be on camera — we have over 30,000 on vehicles and in stations — and SEPTA Police will work tirelessly to bring you to justice," SEPTA CEO Leslie Richards said.
SEPTA's video cameras helped law enforcement find Acevedo. His face was traced to previous run-ins with the law, an unnamed SEPTA police officer said during a press conference.
"Once again, good investigative work by SEPTA Police, which includes high-quality surveillance camera footage pulled from SEPTA facilities, resulted in the timely identification and apprehension of a criminal defendant," Krasner said. "While reported incidents of crime on SEPTA represent a tiny fraction of all reported crimes in Philly, we cannot tolerate violent behaviors that threaten the safety and comfort of transit workers and the riders who depend on SEPTA for transportation throughout the greater Philadelphia region."
SEPTA recently added 21 new officers to its police department, bringing its force to 160, just 10 below its budget, 6ABC reported. This came after separate shootings on SEPTA buses in May.
Richards also spoke about what the transit authority is doing to address recent crashes involving its buses and trolleys. There have been seven SEPTA crashes this summer, including a string of five incidents over a week's span in late July.
On Tuesday, a Route G bus rear-ended another bus around 10:30 a.m. at 15th Street and Oregon Avenue.
"I just want everyone to know that we are also concerned about what has been happening, and we are doing a lot to make sure that we are addressing it and making sure that transit continues to be overwhelmingly the safest way to travel around the Philadelphia region," Richards said.
