The ‘frequent flyers’ behind the surge in violence on public transit

Investigation finds repeat offenders are having outsized impact on rising crime rates

Bethany Lindsay, Eric Szeto, Mia Sheldon, Nicholas Frew

13 Jan 2026 • 6 min read

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Four frames of still images taken from surveillance video show a confrontation between two men inside a public transit train.

A composite image taken from exclusive surveillance video obtained through a freedom of information request shows the 2023 assault of Ben Mazor on an Edmonton LRT train. His attacker was a repeat offender. (Edmonton Police Service)

Bethany Lindsay

Bethany Lindsay is an award-winning investigative journalist who covers white-collar crime. She is based in Vancouver and previously reported for CBC News, the Vancouver Sun, and the Cambodia Daily.

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