A Sherbrooke public transit bus driver is in hospital with facial injuries after he was attacked with a baseball bat Wednesday night.

The suspect, who police say is a 24-year-old man, boarded the bus with a suitcase and a caged cat, which he later took out and held in his arms.

The driver told the man the cat had to stay in its cage and police say the man quickly became aggressive.

According to police, he pulled a baseball bat out of his suitcase and swung it at the driver, hitting him in the face.

The incident happened at the Université de Sherbrooke terminus around 9:15 p.m.

Police said the driver suffered injuries to his nose, eyes and jaw, but his life isn't in danger.

André Marsan, the head of the union that represents Sherbrooke transit authority bus drivers, said news of the attack came as a shock.

"I'm stunned. Drivers in Sherbrooke are rarely subjected to violence," he said.

The suspect is detained at a Sherbrooke police station. He faces a charge of assault with a weapon causing bodily harm and is expected to appear in a Sherbrooke courtroom this morning around 11 a.m.