BREAKING: Seattle bus driver fatally stabbed by passenger, suspect on the loose

A bus driver was stabbed to death in Seattle less than 48 hours after bus stops in the city were closed due to safety concerns for riders and drivers.

According to the Seattle Police Department, detectives are investigating the homicide of a 59-year-old King County Metro Coach driver Shawn Yim near the University of Washington Wednesday morning. Yim was a 7 year veteran of Metro.

At approximately 3:00 am, patrol officers were dispatched to reports of a stabbing near the 4100 block of University Way Northeast and found an adult male suffering from stab wounds to the chest. Police provided medical aid until the Seattle Fire Department arrived. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Officers determined that an adult male passenger got into a physical altercation with the driver at the intersection of 15th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 41st Street after which the driver walked a short distance from the bus to an alley behind a Wells Fargo and collapsed from his injuries. 

The suspect fled the area. Seattle Police and King County Sheriff’s Deputies conducted a K9 search but were unable to find the suspect who is described as 6-foot-1, wearing a blue jacket. He reportedly fled northbound.

Police cordoned off the area until detectives with the Homicide and Crime Scene Investigation Units arrived and processed the scene. Detectives are asking anyone with information about the crime to call 911 or the Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000. Callers can remain anonymous.

The fatal stabbing comes just 2 days after King County Metro announced the closure of bus stops citing safety concerns for drivers and riders.

Metro announced Monday the immediate closure of the bus stops at the 12th Avenue and Jackson Street intersection due to rampant illegal activity. The area has become notorious for open-air drug use, the sale of drugs and stolen goods, and recently was even the location of a mass stabbing.

Passenger assaults have skyrocketed by over 53 percent on Seattle’s light rail and attacks on transit workers have spiked over 80 percent since 2023.

Additionally, 911 response times have continued to grow. SPD is still seeing more separations than new hires and has been at its lowest staffing levels since the 1950s, following the exodus of officers in the wake of the defunding of the police movement in the city.

This is a developing story and will be updated.