Suspect charged with shooting at SEPTA bus driver

Authorities have charged a 32-year-old homeless man with firing a shot at a SEPTA driver last month in North Philadelphia after he refused to pay the bus fare.

The bullet struck the windshield of a Route 57 bus, and no one was injured. Officials said the shooting occurred just before 6 a.m. July 14 near Front and Luzerne streets.

Heriberto Acevedo Jr. has been charged with aggravated assault, multiple firearm violations, reckless endangerment and related charges. He allegedly fired a single shot after initiating an argument with the driver over the $2.50 fare.

Investigators identified Acevedo after reviewing security camera footage. He had been on the authority’s radar due to previous incidents, SEPTA Transit Police Captain R. Kitt Walls told reporters Wednesday.

Prosecutors approved an arrest warrant for Acevedo last week, and he was apprehended Tuesday, the District Attorney’s Office said.

“We hope this is a warning to anyone who thinks they can commit a crime on SEPTA,” said Leslie Richards, the authority’s CEO and general manager. “We are watching. We have over 30,000 cameras.”

District Attorney Larry Krasner said SEPTA cameras have helped detectives solve crimes unrelated to transit, adding that the footage is usually clear enough to spot tattoos and specific clothing items.

“Anybody who is of the opinion that they can do what they want on SEPTA,” he said at a news conference. “Oh, no, you can’t. We got charges for you. We got a jail cell for you. We got a Philly jury that rides SEPTA, and they’re not having it.”

Richards said an increased focus on safety has yielded results. Crimes including murder, rape, robbery, theft and other serious offenses, were decreased 17% on SEPTA in the second quarter of 2023, compared to the first three months of the year.

Robberies, in particular, fell 57% and were also lower than during the same time period last year, according to transit police data. Aggravated assaults, meanwhile, have increased, including those targeting SEPTA employees.

Acevedo’s bail was set at 10% of $600,000, court documents show, and the Defender Association of Philadelphia, which is representing him, declined to comment Wednesday.

He is prohibited from possessing a weapon because of a 2018 Bucks County gun conviction and a 2019 drug case in Philadelphia, according to the District Attorney’s Office.