One of the two men charged in the assault of a Calgary Transit operator last spring has been sentenced to four years in jail, among other weapon-related prohibitions. 

Curtis Baker Spence, who was 20 at the time of the incident, was charged with one count of aggravated assault, one count of robbery, and four counts of failing to comply with a court order earlier this year, and pleaded guilty to the latter two in January. 

In addition to jail time, his sentence included an immediate prohibition from possessing weapons for the next 10 years, as well as a lifetime ban from purchasing firearms and ammunition. 

His brother, Darryl Flett, 22, was also involved in the attack and pleaded guilty to breaching the conditions of his release and aggravated assault, but not to the charge of one count of robbery. Flett’s hearing is scheduled for August 21 of this year. 

The May 14, 2025, attack left bus driver Amarjit Grewal, 67, with life-threatening injuries, namely to his hand and neck, where a slash required upwards of 30 stitches and just barely missed major arteries. 

During the June 19 hearing, the Crown played video footage from inside the bus, which showed the pair conversing with the driver at just after 1 a.m. near the intersection of Falconridge and Castleridge Blvd NE.

Baker Spence then demanded that the driver hand over his cell phone. He soon after led the attack on Grewal using a collapsible baton. Afterwards, Flett was seen attacking the driver further with a sharp-edged object before the two fled the scene.

Criminal records show multiple prior assault charges, the Crown reveals

Crown prosecutor Greg Piper confirmed that Section 269.01 of the Criminal Code was considered by the judge in delivering the sentence, which deems assault against a public transit operator as an aggravated circumstance.

“They considered all relevant features to the offence, whether it’s a plea to robbery or to aggravated assault,” he said. 

“This case would have included the degree of violence used by the accused.”

Piper explained during the hearing that Baker Spence had a lengthy criminal record, including charges going back to 2018. Most recently, he had been charged with aggravated assault after turning 18 in 2022. 

Weeks before the May 2025 incident took place, Piper said that Baker Spence had just been released under the condition of not possessing a weapon.

Piper said that, because of this, a deterrent approach through jail time better suits the charges at hand than a rehabilitative one. He said that the judge would have adequately reviewed this in his decision.

“A judge is required to consider all mandatory aggravating and mitigating features and the circumstances of the accused in determining a fit sentence,” he said. 

“In this case, the judge carefully considered all relevant factors.”

Piper reiterated that transit operators are protected from harm under the law as essential workers of the city as a whole. 

“Calgarians rely on transit operators to get around to do all the things that they need to do in their lives,” he said. 

“Transit operators work alone, early in the morning or late at night, and they deal with all members of the public in all different states.”

Local transit union, city councillors rally in support of the sentence

Ahead of the hearing, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 583 hosted a rally outside the Calgary Municipal Complex to call on the courts to set a precedent by acknowledging the severity of the incident through its decision. 

President Mike Mahar explained that the union had a hand in updating the Criminal Code to include assault on a transit operator as an aggravating circumstance. He said that last year’s incident was another reason this was needed. 

Alex Shevalier, president of the Calgary and District Labour Council, said that part of his role involves reviewing instances in which city workers have been targeted while on the job. He said that last year, 90 of the reported incidents included transit operators, but that labour assaults, as a whole, often go underreported. 

“The numbers don’t tell the story about the transit operator who nearly lost his life,” he said. 

“They don’t tell the story about the headaches he experiences, the nerve damage, or the emotional trauma. He nearly died last year.”

Mahar said that the union has been advocating for safety improvements for over 20 years and that they experienced pushback in the early days, such as when their proposal to have buses fitted with decals listing the consequences for assaulting an operator was denied.

Recently, however, he said that both the last and current city councils have been supportive, especially returning Ward 5 Coun. Raj Dhaliwal and the newly elected mayor, Jeromy Farkas, who joined several other councillors at the rally.

“If you assault a transit operator, you need to go to jail,” said Farkas. 

“If you assault anybody who is working at the city, you need to go to jail. I don’t care how politically incorrect it is for me to say that. I will say this. I take this seriously.”