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MILLCREEK — A Draper man is facing criminal charges accusing him of threatening a Utah Transit Authority bus driver and his passengers, forcing the driver to pull over and run for safety.
Maurice Shane Burris, 43, is charged in 3rd District Court with bus hijacking, a first-degree felony, and drug possession, a class A misdemeanor.
On Feb. 6, Burris boarded a Utah Transit Authority bus in West Valley City. "He became upset and started getting verbally aggressive, accusing the driver of being racist by asking another passenger in front of him for their fare when they boarded," a police booking affidavit states.
As the bus was moving, Burris continued to rant and pace the aisle, police say. That's when he grabbed a fire extinguisher in the bus and held it above his head as if he intended to hit someone with it, according to charging documents.
When the bus stopped at 700 West and 3900 South, police say Burris threatened the driver and demanded that everyone get off the bus.
"This scared the driver who told all of the passengers to exit the bus," the affidavit states.
Burris then got off the bus himself and "chased" the driver before throwing the extinguisher into the rear of the bus and walking away, the charges say. UTA police found Burris a short time later and arrested him. Police reported finding methamphetamine on Burris when he was taken into custody.
Police say just an hour before the hijacking, Burris was on a UTA train and "talking out loud about him killing everyone and how everyone has their time to die," according to the affidavit. The day before, UTA police also made contact with Burris on a train when an officer overheard him talking loudly.
According to court records, Burris pleaded guilty in December to aggravated robbery, "then committed this new offense 57 days after being released." In that case, Burris "pulled a large kitchen knife" on a couple in South Salt Lake and demanded a cigarette, according to charging documents. He is scheduled to be sentenced for that incident on Friday. In 2021, he was convicted of assault on a police officer.
The hijacking is also the latest in several recent incidents involving UTA buses and drivers.
- In January, Joseph Jameau Mateos, 21, was charged with assault with intent to commit a bus hijacking after police say he refused to pay for a fare and insinuated to the driver he had a gun.
- In December, Cameron Michael Ward, 25, was charged with two counts of disarming an officer and aggravated assault for allegedly assaulting a UTA bus driver without provocation and later fighting with police officers attempting to arrest him.
- In 2021, Francis Xavier Barth was charged with assault with intent to commit a bus hijacking and criminal mischief after threatening a driver and then trying to drive away with the bus after the driver exited for safety. He pleaded guilty in May and was sentenced to three years of probation.
