Teen brawl on Pierce Transit bus ends with two arrests, driver and passengers pepper sprayed
Aug 21, 2026, 6:31 AM | Updated: 3:15 pm
A Pierce Transit electric bus can be seen in Pierce County. (Photo courtesy of Pierce Transit)
(Photo courtesy of Pierce Transit)
The Puyallup Police Department arrested two 18-year-olds after a brawl broke out between groups of teenagers on a Pierce Transit bus Tuesday night at the South Hill Mall Transit Center.
The fight occurred between two separate groups of teens, who got into an argument after boarding the bus. Among the teens was a 12-year-old.
“Seemed to be two separate groups who did not have, prior to this, any known beef,” Puyallup Police Captain Jeremy Hedrick told KIRO 7. “They ran into each other at the transit center, and then that’s how it went.”
According to the department, one of the teens, an 18-year-old, used pepper spray on the bus. Hedrick said the pepper spray hit multiple people, including the driver. The fight continued outside of the bus at the transit center, where participants punched, kicked, and used skateboards as weapons.
“I mean, then you also have some of the subjects using skateboards as weapons as well,” Hedrick said. “That can obviously be very dangerous if you get hit in the head with a skateboard.”
Despite the sprawling brawl, no one was seriously hurt beyond getting struck with pepper spray. Additionally, a transit worker was spit on.
The 18-year-old, from Tacoma, who deployed the pepper spray was arrested on assault charges. A second 18-year-old teenager was arrested for interfering with the investigation.
“This is not something we regularly see at that transit center,” Hendrik added. “We have a strong police presence up there, as you can see; officers responded very quickly and got on scene quickly, and so that’s not a normal call for us to have up there.”
This is a developing story, check back for updates
Contributing: KIRO 7
