Two men were arrested after attacks on three MTA bus drivers on the same Brooklyn route, police said.
The latest incident, on Aug. 27, happened at the B15 stop on Fulton Street and Marcus Garvey Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Sherrod Jackson, 34, approached the driver’s side window of the bus, and when the driver opened the window, he pulled out what appeared to be some kind of aerosol spray can, police said.
The driver shut the window, but Jackson allegedly banged on it with the can. He broke the window and ran off, according to police. The driver was taken to an area hospital but was expected to be OK.
Jackson is facing charges of criminal mischief, attempted assault, menacing and harassment in connection with the bus incident. He was also charged with criminal possession of a weapon during his arrest and faces burglary charges in connection with an unrelated incident that took place on Aug. 12, according to court documents.
On Aug. 23, Andre Chandler, 46, sprayed an unknown substance at drivers and passengers on two different B15 buses in Brownsville, police said. The two drivers and two passengers were all treated at an area hospital and released.
Chandler, of Brownsville, was arrested in both of these attacks and charged with assault, menacing and reckless endangerment, police said Friday.
Police said there did not appear to be a link between the Aug. 23 incidents and the one on Aug. 27, but the Transport Workers Union Local 100 issued a statement in disagreement.
“[Monday’s] attack on a B15 Bus Operator, the third such incident in a few days, is a deep concern for worker safety and public safety,” the Transport Workers Union Local 100 said in a statement on Aug. 27. “Twice is a coincidence. Three times is a pattern.”
The MTA is only using camera-equipped buses for the B15 route and police have been asked to increase their presence along the route, a spokesman said.
“We will not stand idly by while our colleagues are attacked,” NYC Transit president Andy Byford said.
Several MTA train conductors have also been assaulted in recent weeks, spurring the MTA and the union to post “wanted” flyers with photos of suspects, launch a voluntary body camera program and set up an internal safety hotline.
With Meghan Giannotta
