Man Charged With Assault After Allegedly Shooting Into Muni Bus In North Beach

A 67-year-old man faces assault and weapons charges after an incident last week in North Beach in which he allegedly fired shots into a Muni bus with passengers on board. The incident happened around 6:16 pm last Thursday, November 5. The victim says he was riding a Muni bus in the area of Columbus Avenue and Union Street when he was pushed by a man identified as 67-year-old John Slaviero, as Slaviero was attempting to exit the bus. The victim told investigators that he pushed Slaviero back, and the two then "exchanged words." Slaviero then allegedly got off the bus, retrieved a firearm, and fired two rounds back into the bus before being tackled by a bystander and disarmed by the victim. "Two bullet holes were found above the seat the victim was attempting to occupy," the SF District Attorney's Office says in a release. "At the time, the victim and numerous passengers were inside the bus, including children." The bystander reportedly held Slaviero on the ground until police arrived, at which point he was arrested. The DA's office has now charged Slaviero with multiple counts, including assault with a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon committed against a public transit employee/passenger, discharge of a firearm at occupied motor vehicle, possession of a deadly weapon: metal knuckles, and carrying a loaded firearm. This is the third incident of violence on a Muni bus in the last six weeks. Late last month, a man was stabbed following a confrontation with another passenger on a 5-Fulton Owl bus in the Western Addition. And in late September, a victim who was allegedly intervening to stop a suspect from harassing a woman on a bus in SoMa was stabbed in the neck . Although an arrest has been made in last week's incident, anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD tip line at 415-575-4444, or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with “SFPD.” Tipsters can remain anonymous.