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Dec 2, 2008 1:00 pm US/Eastern
NYC Bus Driver Stabbed To Death While On Duty
NYPD: Argument Over $2 Transfer Slip Ends In Horror
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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New York City police officers say bus driver Edwin Thomas, seen in this undated file photo, was stabbed to death by a passenger over a $2 transfer slip on Dec. 1, 2008. The incident occurred in front of horrified passengers.
CBS
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Thomas was driving this B-46 bus seen here cordoned off by police tape after the stabbing attack on Dec. 1 in New York City's Brooklyn borough.
CBS
New York City police are questioning a man in the killing of an on-duty bus driver who was stabbed in front of horrified passengers in the New York City's Brooklyn borough, CBS station WCBS-TV in New York City reports.
No charges have been filed, but the person of interest, identified as a man in his 20s, is being interviewed at a police precinct.
On Monday, New York City bus driver Edwin Thomas, 46, was stabbed to death by a rider apparently angry over not receiving a free transfer, police said. The horrific incident marked the first time a NYC bus driver has been killed on the job in 27 years. Police are offering a $12,000 reward for any information on the suspect.
Thomas, driver of the B-46, was operating the bus in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn when he picked up the suspect around 12:30 p.m. Monday at Malcolm X Boulevard near Gates Avenue, police said.
According to police, the man swiped an invalid fare card and sat down on the bus, then asked for a transfer slip usually available to riders.
Police told WCBS that when the driver told the man that he didn't pay for the ride and couldn't get a transfer, the man punched the driver in the head and stabbed him to death while other riders looked on.
"It's crazy because, I mean, the bus driver was cool," witness Benjamin Stacking said. "He let me on. I was 50 cents short and he still let me on and gave me a transfer, so that's kind of crazy.
"There's no reason to stab a bus driver if you are broke or have no money and can't get a transfer. No reason to stab a person."
The suspect fled on foot. Police are looking for a black male between 18 and 20 years old wearing black jeans and an Adidas jacket.
Elliot Lee Sander, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's executive director and chief executive, said Thomas was a seven-year veteran and characterized him as "a valued employee" who would "be sorely missed."
"Bus operator Thomas was killed while serving the people of New York City," Sander said. "This is an extraordinary tragedy for the city and the MTA."
Gov. David Paterson said in a statement he was "shocked and saddened" by the killing of Thomas, who the governor said "spent his career ensuring the safety of his passengers."
Mayor Michael Bloomberg described Thomas in a statement as a "good man who was good at his job of helping move New York City."
The mayor said he spoke with Thomas's son Jeffrey, offering the family his sympathies.
"In Edwin's memory, I ask all New Yorkers riding public transit tonight or tomorrow to take an extra moment to say 'Thank you' to our New York City Transit workers and I ask everyone to keep Edwin Thomas' family and loved ones in your prayers," the mayor's statement said.
The fatal attack on the bus driver, the mayor said, was "so shocking" partly because such violence has become rare. The last bus driver killed while on the job was Harvey Shield in 1981 in Brooklyn, the MTA said.
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