Police: MTA Bus Driver Spit On, Hit In Head With Piece Of Wood
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police are trying to track down a man they say hit an MTA bus driver in the head with a piece of wood.
The attack happened around 9 a.m. Tuesday in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
Police said the man spit on the driver as he was getting off the bus at Clarkson Avenue. The driver followed him off, and they got into an argument.
Police said that's when the suspect hit the driver with a piece of wood he picked up off the ground.
The 57-year-old driver lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
"Addressing the assaults and abuse being inflicted on transit workers has to be a higher priority for everyone involved," Transport Workers Union Local 100 President Tony Utano said in a statement. "We have asked the NYPD Chief of Patrol to form a special unit to focus only on bus routes and reducing the horrific assaults taking place against Bus Operators - instead of leaving it up to individual precincts. We need a uniformed presence on buses, and greater accountability and responsibility."
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
