WASHINGTON — The search is on for a man accused of attacking a Metrobus driver Friday morning.
According to Metro Transit Police, the man didn’t want to pay his fare after boarding the 90 bus on westbound Florida Avenue, just past North Capitol Street in Northwest.
The bus driver confronted the man, who sucker punched the operator without warning or provocation, Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said.
He said another passenger intervened and pulled the man off the driver and off of the bus. The suspect then ran from the bus on foot.
The bus operator received a cut underneath his eye, from his glasses, after he was punched.
This is the 69th assault of a Metro bus operator this year, one more assault than the same time last year, Stessel said.
Under D.C. law, attacking a bus operator in the city can result in an enhanced penalty at sentencing.
“When one assaults a bus operator, they put every other passenger aboard the bus at risk,” Stessel said. “If the bus operator, in the seat, loses control of the bus, there could be many injuries.”
To protect drivers, Stessel said, all new buses ordered by WMATA include a Plexiglas shield to protect drivers from passengers.
