Brooklyn bus driver stabbed passenger during violent on-board argument: cops

Cops in Brooklyn slapped the cuffs on an MTA bus driver who allegedly stabbed a passenger during an argument on Friday afternoon.

Law enforcement sources said the driver, 58-year-old Ian Bascombe, got into the dispute with the passenger, 33-year-old Quentin Branch, on board a southbound B41 bus on Flatbush Avenue between Newkirk and Foster Avenues in Flatbush at about 12:19 p.m. on Dec. 13.

Sources familiar with the case said the argument stemmed from Branch’s request to depart the bus between stops, which is against MTA policy. When Bascombe rebuffed the request, Branch allegedly went around the plexiglass divider at the front of the bus, then spat on and punched Bascombe in the eye.

Seconds later, police said, Bascombe pulled out a knife and stabbed Branch in the head and left leg.

Officers from the 70th Precinct responded to the incident. EMS rushed Branch to Kings County Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

Following an investigation, both Bascombe and Wright were placed under arrest and charged with second- and third-degree assault. Bascombe was hit with an additional criminal possession of a weapon charge, while Wright was also booked for harassment.

Frank Annicaro, senior vice president of MTA New York City Transit, said that Bascombe, a 20-year veteran, has been withheld from service pending an internal review. “Violence on buses puts New Yorkers at risk and is not acceptable,” Annicaro said.

The investigation remains ongoing.