I'd like to clear up a small missing detail. The suspect didn't taunt or intimidate anyone, specifically the victim, for any amount of time. He went from zero to stabbing the fuck out of the guy's chest and neck in the time it took to get out his knife and start stabbing. No warning, no words, no time to react. Let's inject some logic into this situation:
The victim was sleeping, suspect sitting calmly next to him one moment... the next moment suspect is stabbing a knife repeatedly into the victims chest. The guy had time to scream for a second or so before his vocal cords were disconnected.
Sorry tough guys, but unless you're trained and conditioned for it, or atleast experienced, I'd bet it takes atleast 5-10 seconds to truely comprehend what you're seeing, assuming you were sitting on the bus. Atleast another 3 seconds to decide what to do. Doesn't matter what it is you decide to do, chances are you can blatantly see that the victim's head is no longer firmly connected to his body... the fact that he wouldn't even be struggling, or moving, at all, is also a giveaway that you should get the 36 people who are alive to safety before doing anything for the one guy who can safely be assumed to be dead.
Imagine if you got shot in the face, and I had to choose between seeing if you were ok or getting other people to safety: I cannot do both... I'm probably going to make those other people as safe as possible before I go see if you survived a bullet to the face. A cowardly act? Possibly from one perspective... but wouldn't it be dumb to get 2 people killed instead of 1? What sense does that make? I know your chances of survival are low... you just used your face as a high-velocity lead receptical... but everyone elses chances are good, so get them out first. Sacrifice the least to save the most.
That's how I see it anyway. Point furthermore... the suspect was easily caged on the bus while he was preoccupied with maiming his first victim. If anyone's a coward, it's him: attacking a sleeping man with a knife. As a footnote, the suspect was a decent sized fellow who clearly knew what he was doing with a knife.
