By Joy Bergmann
Quick action Friday morning by an MTA M11 bus driver and NYPD officers from the 20th Precinct may have prevented a tragedy.
According to Deputy Inspector Timothy Malin, Commanding Officer of the 20th, the following incident occurred shortly before 8 a.m.
A suspect later apprehended by police, Tony Burnett, 28, apparently tried to board an M11 bus at 86th and Columbus. The bus pulled away before he could enter.
Burnett then allegedly jumped in a southbound cab, having the driver go ahead of the bus and stop. Burnett then allegedly got out of the cab, confronted the M11 bus driver, “screaming” and pulled a handgun on the driver. Burnett then allegedly fled the scene.
Knowing the 20th Precinct headquarters were on nearby 82nd Street, the bus driver got out of the bus and started running towards the precinct. He was met by two street patrol officers who immediately started canvassing for the perpetrator.
Soon after, officers caught Burnett and recovered a loaded .32 caliber revolver. According to Malin, Burnett has over 20 arrests including some violent felonies on his record.
No one was injured.
We’ve asked the MTA for any additional details and the name of this bus driver. We’ll update this post if more information becomes available.
It’s tough work being an officer for the NYPD. It’s scary and dangerous work to confront a lunatic with a loaded gun.
I wish our mayor would show the NYPD the respect it deserves.
I wish the NYPD would show the respect they advertise on the side of their card. Two way street Sherman.
awesome!! great work by police and bravery/ quick thinking by the bus driver… MTA employees are much maligned but keep the city running, often heroically (not always by catching criminals). Great story by Joy Bergmann.
Please prosecute this unhinged man to the fullest extent of the law. I am afraid he will kill someone eventually. God bless the bus driver and the police officers.
I could not agree more!
28 years old, screaming, a loaded revolver in hand, an arrest record with some violent felonies — why is this man still on the street? Thank goodness for the police!
Lucky driver. 20th return no calls. In Emails calls me a man, less than useless.
Why do cops waste their time? 28 years old, 20 arrests, violent felonies still on the street?
What makes them think the 21st arrest be different? The judge will just throw them back onto the street.
So, you’re saying they should simply ignore him? Leave him be? That’s your solution?
GO! “TWO-OH” !!
Not only are those apprehending officers great cops, but they also demonstrate former “Commish” Ray Kelly’s edict that NYPD officers reflect the wonderful ethnic diversity of this city.
Don’t worry, it’ll be plead down to a disorderly persons and he’ll be back on the streets in no time. Mass incarceration is a very bad thing!
But if the brave women and men of the NYPD noticed him walking down the street, with a bulge under his shirt, acting suspiciously, they would NOT stop him.
“Stop, question, frisk” is racist, so welcome to the NYC world of taking your revenge out on bus drivers with a gun! And don’t forget to vote for de Blasio for president.
Reply to Ben David:
Stop and frisk with RACIAL PROFILING” is indeed racist, in fact a useful
definition of a racist policy. And the fact that you want to bring it back says something about you. you felt comfortable, under Bloomberg, of having almost 100% of Black and dark skinned Hispanic men under a certain age (40 or so) stopped and frisked repeatedly, for no reason? If that is true, you should do some soul-searching. Most people have moved on in their views; i can only feel sorry that you haven’t.
police can, of course, “stop and frisk” when they have reason for suspicion. and they should. and in this case they apparently did.
by the way, the article doesn’t mention the race of the man with the gun, nor the heroic bus driver.
“acting suspiciously”
Yeah, well, maybe if the NYPD didn’t act like having non-white skin itself constituted “acting suspiciously,” they wouldn’t have lost the lawsuit. Courts love to bend over backwards to give discretion to law enforcement; the NYPD threw that away because they couldn’t hold themselves to minimum standards of human decency.
As long as nobody’s Second Amendment Rights were violated we’re okay with this as a nation.
Thank you quick thinking bus driver and the police for catching this lunatic.
UWS Trifecta: three things you want but can’t find: cops, cabs, buses. Plus a nut with a hand gun. This is why we live in NYC.
The bus driver left the bus and runs to the local precinct? 911? Cell phone? What about the on-board phone to call the MTA dispatcher? Or the police?
Anyone rushing to label this man as crazy has never experienced the helpless frustration of waiting seemingly forever for a bus only to have the driver blow past the stop, smirk on his face as he pretends not to see you there.
I’m glad no one got hurt, but maybe next time the driver will think twice before he callously ignores the commuter who is just trying to get to work on time.
You appear to have missed a few details.
and this man, has a loaded pistol in nyc? even after chalking up over 20 arrests? something is wrong, main non?
Yes the guy is a criminal, but why did the driver pull away before the man could get on the bus? And why did the driver run towards the precinct instead of calling? I feel funny that the driver abandoned the bus and any passengers.
The bus driver was a hero!