An MTA bus driver suffered a gash to the head when an irate passenger smashed him with a 2-by-4 during a dispute in Brooklyn on Tuesday morning, according to police and sources.
The suspect got on the bus in Brownsville around 10 a.m. and got into an argument with the driver — then spit on him, cops said.
The unidentified driver chased the man off the bus near 277 Remsen Ave., where the passenger grabbed the wooden stick, turned around, and struck him in the head before running off, police said.
The driver was taken to Kings County Hospital, where he was treated for a cut to the head.
“It’s reprehensible and unacceptable that anyone would attack a bus operator, one of the many heroes of this pandemic,” MTA spokesman Tim Minton said in a statement Tuesday. “We are cooperating with the NYPD investigation, and thoughts are with our colleague for a speedy recovery.”
According to the MTA, attacks on New York City transit workers climbed last year despite a dip in ridership due to the coronavirus.
The agency said in January that 58 transit workers were physically attacked between July and the end of 2020, while hundreds more were harassed or spat on.
“These senseless attacks cannot be tolerated and have to stop,” MTA bus chief Craig Cipriano said in a statement. “We appreciate the aggressive efforts of the NYPD and hope to see the alleged perpetrator identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
About a week after the Bronx incident, an irate passenger spit on an MTA bus driver and whacked him with a 2-by-4 during a dispute on a bus in Brownsville, Brooklyn, cops said.