LONGWOOD — An MTA bus driver who refused to let a passenger out between stops was spat on and assaulted by two straphangers in the South Bronx.
The 48-year-old victim was driving near Southern Boulevard and Longwood Avenue on Friday around 5 p.m. when one of his passengers said that he had missed her stop and asked him to pull over in between stops to let her off, which he said he could not do, according to the NYPD.
When he pulled up to 793 Southern Blvd. and stopped, the passenger spat in his eye while getting off the bus, police said.
The bus driver grabbed her before she could get away, prompting her to start hitting him, and when a passerby noticed what was going on, he went up to the bus driver and punched him in the face, police said.
Both suspects then fled, and the driver went to be evaluated at Lincoln Hospital but was not seriously injured, police said.
Officers described one suspect as a woman between 20 and 25 years old who stands 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs between 120 and 130 pounds and was last seen wearing a black coat.
The other suspect is a man between 18 and 20 years old who stands 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs between 130 and 140 pounds and was last seen in blue jeans and a black jacket, police said.
Anyone with information about this assault is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the crime stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES), then entering TIP577.
