The man accused of killing a King County Metro bus driver faced a judge Monday morning.
53-year-old Richard Sitzlack was arraigned on several charges.
The union that represents bus drivers in and around King County was in court for the arraignment of Richard Sitzlack, the man accused of stabbing and killing King County Metro bus driver Shawn Yim.
After the hearing, a number of union heads spoke out about safety.
Greg Woodfill, President of Amalgamated Transit Union 587, the Bus operators’ union, said operators work in fear.
“Our employees are slapped, punched, spit on, stabbed, subjected to drugs. Where is the accountability here,” he exclaimed.
The bus operators say Yim wasn’t just a coworker.
“We are a family,” said Woodfill.
Another union head, Ken Price, who spoke after the hearing echoed those sentiments saying Yim was well-known among his fellow operators.
The drivers came to see the suspect and to make sure that he saw their faces in court.
This all happened just weeks after Yim was brutally stabbed and killed in the U-District in Seattle.
Police had put out photos when they were searching for him, and Sitzlack had been a passenger on Yim’s Metro Bus that morning.
Prosecutors say three days later, another driver—Anthony Ross—spotted a passenger who looked like Sitzlack on his bus. He watched him get on another bus and called deputies.
The transit control center called the bus’s operator who confirmed the suspect was on board. He flagged down police, who arrested Sitzlack.
The murder has sparked debate over how to protect bus operators, potentially by putting in protective shields.
Price says Yim brought up safety concerns himself, “Shawn pulled me aside at the time and said, Ken, you gotta do something out here it’s worse than when you drove.”
Woodfill also says the Union needs support in its efforts to improve safety, “We’re not just fighting for us, it’s the public, we feel like this union is alone.”
Sitzlack is charged with first-degree murder as well as other charges. His next court hearing is February 6th.
“We will be at every hearing through this case until we see justice for the brutal murder of our operator,” said Woodfill.
A memorial service and large bus procession in honor of Shawn Yim are set to be held on Friday, January 10.