BENSONHURST'S PREMIER NEWS BLOG

An assault occurred Sunday morning at 3 a.m. on the corner of 45th Street and New Utrecht Avenue.

The victim was taken to Lutheran Trauma Center. Police have not released any information pertaining to the suspect or victim.

It is not yet clear whether any arrests were made, according to Brooklyn Scoop.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577.

John Dewey H.S.

A 17-year-old student at John Dewey High School (50 Ave X) in Gravesend was struck in the head with a metal pipe earlier today when he, along with two young friends, was jumped by three thieves who demanded that one of the teenagers give up his cell phone and a pair of headphones.

The incident occurred directly outside the school on Avenue X, according to website DNAinfo.

Meanwhile, the Post is saying that one 17-year-old victim was brought to Lutheran Medical Center in order to have the wounds on his head stapled closed. Another suffered minor scrapes to his face.

The teen who had his electronics stolen was reportedly not injured.

The three alleged perpetrators – ages 17, 18, and 21 – were rounded up by police shortly after the crime occurred. They were taken into custody for assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

Bus operator Brian Busy was one of the MTA workers attacked by passengers this year (source: Marcus Santos for The News)

Yesterday’s Daily News carried a story on the 16% rise in attacks on subway workers, matching a similar trend of increased attacks on city bus drivers.

According to the report, which quotes MTA officials, assaults on cleaners, conductors and other subway personnel are up 16% since January, when compared to the same time period last year.

John Samuelson, president TWU Local 100 – the union that represents New York City’s MTA workers – told those gathered at a City Council meeting that the reaction would be far different if other varieties of public employees were being attacked in similar numbers.

From Daily News:

“If there were two sanitation workers, or police officers or City Council members being assaulted every week in New York City, they’d call in the National Guard to stop those assaults from happening.” Samuelsen said.

Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Queens) asked that MTA request more police protection for bus operators, suggesting that NYPD target routes with the most frequent number of incidents with both undercover and uniformed officers.

Darryl Irick, senior vice president for buses, responded that he planned on taking up the issue with police brass.

One bus driver quoted in the article, Brian Busy, testified before the City Council, telling members of one woman who assaulted him after he asked her to fold up her child’s stroller.

“She beat on me as if I was a piñata,” Busy recounted.

Despite stickers warning straphangers about a seven year prison sentence for assaulting transit employees, Busy said the woman winded up pleading to a misdemeanor and only serving a few days in jail.

MTA officials said they didn’t have data on how many attackers charged with felonies pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

Union officials and transit workers reminded everyone at the hearing that the documented assaults did not include workers being spat upon and verbally abused, which they said occurs daily.

Have you ever seen a subway or bus worker being attacked, spat on or yelled at?

What do you think should be done to prevent this?