The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office has decided not to pursue charges against a 58-year-old MTA bus driver involved in a violent altercation aboard a Brooklyn bus on Friday, officials confirmed Sunday.
Police initially arrested Ian Bascombe on charges of assault and weapon possession after they said he stabbed 33-year-old Quentin Branch in the head and leg during the incident. Branch was taken to the hospital in stable condition but also faced charges of assault and harassment.
A spokesperson for the Brooklyn DA’s office confirmed on Sunday that Bascombe’s case would not be prosecuted.
Transit Workers Union representative JP Patafio said video evidence from the scene showed the bus driver acted in self-defense, after Branch harassed and spat on him before escalating the confrontation.
“This guy was just harassing and haranguing the operator and spitting in the operator’s face,” he said in an interview on Sunday. “When the operator got up, he started punching him and really going after him hard and the operator defended himself.”
Patafio called for stronger protections for bus drivers, including partitions on buses, de-escalation training, and a public campaign to encourage respect for the workers.
In a statement, Frank Annicaro, senior vice president of the New York City Transit Department of Buses and MTA Bus Company, said Bascombe had been suspended from service pending an internal review.
“Violence on buses puts New Yorkers at risk and is not acceptable,” Annicaro said.
An attorney for Branch could not be reached for comment.
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