A routine Friday afternoon bus ride in Brooklyn turned into chaos when an MTA bus driver stabbed a passenger in a shocking altercation. The incident happened near Foster and Flatbush Avenues in New York City, leaving passengers stunned and police scrambling for answers.
The driver, 58-year-old Ian Bascombe, was behind the wheel of a southbound B41 bus when a passenger, 33-year-old Quentin Branch, asked to get off at an unauthorized stop. According to the NYPD, Branch claimed he’d boarded the wrong bus and wanted to be let off immediately. But Bascombe, following protocol, kept driving, looking for a safe spot to stop.
That’s when things took a violent turn. Branch reportedly became enraged, shouting threats like, “I’m going to break your jaw,” before punching Bascombe in the left eye. Witnesses said the attack seemed to come out of nowhere, escalating quickly. Bascombe, visibly shaken, pulled out a knife and stabbed Branch multiple times in the head and leg.
The scuffle erupted around 12:30 p.m., and police soon arrived on the scene. Branch was rushed to Kings County Hospital in stable condition. Both men ended up in handcuffs. Bascombe faces charges of assault and criminal possession of a weapon, while Branch was charged with harassment and assault.
NYC Transit’s senior vice president for buses, Frank Annicaro, addressed the incident, saying, “Violence on buses puts New Yorkers at risk and is not acceptable.” Pending an investigation, Bascombe, a 20-year MTA veteran, has been removed from service.
This shocking event isn’t an isolated case. Just last week, an MTA cleaner was arrested for allegedly slashing someone at the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center subway station. And in November, a female MTA worker was reportedly shot in Los Angeles by her ex-boyfriend.
The rising violence has sparked outrage among MTA employees, who say they feel unsafe on the job. Protests and calls for better security measures have grown louder. “Metro doesn’t care about its drivers,” one longtime worker told the media earlier this year. “We are all expendable.”
As the investigation continues, both Bascombe and Branch are facing serious consequences, and the incident adds to a growing list of violent encounters involving public transit workers.
