A police spokesman said several tips had already been received. Witnesses who can say anything about his whereabouts are asked to contact the criminal police. The 19-year-old is said to have attacked the inspectors on Friday last week in order to avoid a ticket check.

A 17-year-old suspect was caught and arrested on Wednesday, the police and the public prosecutor announced. He is accused of attacking the inspectors with pepper spray, among other things. He was taken into custody on strong suspicion of particularly serious robbery-related blackmail and grievous bodily harm.

This is how it is supposed to have happened

According to investigators’ findings so far, the ticket examiners wanted to get on a bus before the attack. Presumably in order to avoid being checked, two passengers then ran out of the vehicle and pushed the checking staff standing in front of the doors to the ground.

One of the examiners managed to hold on to the leg of an escapee. In order to break free, he hit the inspector in the face. The 17-year-old suspect is also said to have sprayed pepper spray several times in the direction of the ticket inspectors.

Incident reminds of killed train attendant

There is increased focus on the safety of train attendants after a fatal attack on a regional train in February. In Rhineland-Palatinate, a 36-year-old train attendant was so badly injured in the head by a passenger during a ticket check that he later died.