A weekend bus ride through Manhattan turned violent on Saturday when police say a passenger became irate, threw punches at the driver and even pulled a knife.
According to MTA officials and the NYPD, the 58-year-old driver of M15 southbound bus was attacked while operating the vehicle through lower Manhattan traffic around 12 p.m.
Video and witness statements suggest a passenger began yelling and swearing at the operator for "not driving faster" as the bus navigated traffic near Madison and Catherine Streets.
The incident escalated once the bus pulled into a downtown terminal near South Ferry, according to the MTA. That's when the suspect allegedly swung at the driver before pulling out a knife.
After taking the punch, the driver managed to disarm the man and restrain him until police officers could arrive and take him into custody.
Rashown Eagle, 43, of Staten Island, was arrested on charges including assault, menacing and obstruction of breathing. Attorney information for the man was not immediately known.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
"It is lunacy for anyone to take out frustration for traffic congestion on a transit employee just trying to drive New Yorkers where they need to go, and intolerable that a bus operator suffered injuries to his face requiring hospital treatment as a result," NYC Transit’s senior vice president for buses, Frank Annicaro, said in a statement.
News
"It's now up to prosecutors to deliver justice with serious charges and maximum consequences."
