• [But Penny...] Brooklyn DA declines to prosecute union MTA bus driver i

    From Leroy N. Soetoro@21:1/5 to All on Thu Dec 19 19:33:23 2024
    XPost: nyc.politics, alt.society.labor-unions, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh
    XPost: talk.politics.guns, sac.politics

    https://gothamist.com/news/brooklyn-da-declines-to-prosecute-mta-bus- driver-in-alleged-self-defense-stabbing

    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.

    Oren Yaniv, 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. Patafio said 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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