Suspect steals MTA bus driver’s hat before punching him: NYPD

A man swiped the hat of an MTA bus driverwho was helping ahandicapped passenger before throwing several punches, police said.

Authoritiesreleased a photo of the suspect late Wednesday, showing him on the bus during the Jan. 28 incident.

The bus was stopped in Brooklynat Kingsbridge Terrace and West Kingsbridge Road around 7:15 p.m. when the 47-year-old driver allegedly started arguing with the suspect. According to police, the operator was assisting ahandicapped passenger at the time.

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During the dispute, the suspect took the driver’s MTA hat and started to leavethe bus, police said. When the victim tried to retrieve his hat, he was punched several times in the face. The suspect then fled.

The driver refused medical attention at the scene.

Police describe the suspect as a Hispanic man about 25 to 35 years old.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

The public can also submit their tips by logging onto theCrime Stoppers websiteor by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.