NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — An MTA bus driver stabbed a passenger aboard a transit vehicle during an altercation in Flatbush, Brooklyn on Friday afternoon, police said.
The stabbing happened at about 12:30 p.m. when a fight broke out on a southbound B41 bus traveling on Flatbush Avenue near Newkirk Avenue.
The dispute escalated when the bus operator, 58-year-old Ian Bascombe, pulled out a knife and stabbed Quentin Branch, 33, in the head and leg.
Authorities said that Branch was transported to an area hospital and is expected to recover.
Branch was charged with two counts of assault and second-degree harassment, while Bascombe was charged with two counts of assault and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
The incident occurred on the 20th anniversary of Bascombe’s appointment with the MTA, the transit authority said. He is being withheld from service pending an internal review.
“Violence on buses puts New Yorkers at risk and is not acceptable,” senior vice president of NYC Transit’s Department of Buses Frank Annicaro said.