Canadian Bus Beheading Forces Greyhound to Ditch Ad Campaign

Last week's violent attack by one Greyhound Bus passenger on another that resulted in the victim being beheaded and cannibalized has Greyhound executives scrambling to halt a recent ad campaign. Greyhound's newest advertising spots and posters sign the praises of bus travel, citing the relaxation factor. Greyhound's tag line for the ads is "There's a reason you've never heard of 'bus rage.' "

The beheading occurred on a Greyhound route on the TransCanada Highway near Portage la Prairie Manitoba. 40-year-old Vince Weiguang Li, an immigrant from China living in Edmonton, stabbed his seat mate, 22-year-old Tim McLean, to death with a butcher knife, then beheaded him and cannibalized his body after all other passengers had fled the bus.

According to the Associated Press, Greyhound spokeswoman Abby Wambaugh said that some ad campaign posters and a billboard still remain displayed in Toronto but that they would be taken down as soon as possible. Wambaugh went on to say that Greyhound knows how important it is to halt the ad campaign, realizing that it could be offensive. All Greyhound advertising had already been removed in Western Canada and other parts of Ontario, according to Wambaugh. She stated that the Toronto Greyhound ads would be removed by the end of day Thursday. Approximately 20,000 ad inserts had been slated to be included in the Alberta Summer Games handbook, but printing has been halted in light of the beheading tragedy.

Li remains in custody in Portage la Prairie where he made his first court appearance Friday. He did not enter a plea and refused the services of a lawyer. When the judge asked him if he was exercising his right to not speak, he nodded. He softly said to the judge, "Kill me now." The judge did not respond to the statement.

The Greyhound beheading was the first of two last week. A man on the Greek island of Santorini, in an apparent domestic dispute, beheaded his girlfriend with a cleaver then walked around the town with her head in one hand and a cleaver in another. The impact on tourism to this popular destination is not yet known.

Sources:

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=5ba3e33e-dea0-4ddd-8353-382ef9b1fda5

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/472917