Man arrested in violent beating of bus rider in Santa Clarita

A man suspected of violently beating an elderly passenger on a Santa Clarita bus has been arrested, authorities said.

Detectives from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s Major Crimes Bureau apprehended Bernhardt Darko, 28, without incident about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday after spotting him near Ventura Boulevard and Texhoma Avenue in Encino, according to a statement from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.

Authorities said Darko beat the victim, said to be in his late 60s, while he was on a bus at the Valencia transit center Oct. 5. The victim suffered several injuries to his head and face in what sheriff’s officials described as a “particularly violent” assault.

Darko, of Valencia, was booked at Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station for the felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon and is being held on $30,000 bail, authorities said.

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-- Ann M. Simmons

Photo: Bernhardt Darko, 28, of Valencia is accused of violently beating a bus passenger. Credit: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department