A routine fare check at a Starrett City bus stop ended with gunfire, and now the man who pulled the trigger is headed to prison. A Brooklyn resident who opened fire on MTA fare inspectors at a B82 Select Bus Service stop in April 2023 was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years behind bars after pleading guilty to attempted murder. Prosecutors say one inspector was grazed by a bullet and the rest dove for cover as shots rang out, closing the chapter on a high‑profile case that rattled transit workers citywide.
According to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, the defendant, 52‑year‑old Samuel White of Starrett City, pleaded guilty on March 23, 2026, to four counts of second‑degree attempted murder and was sentenced on May 26 by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Adam Perlmutter to 15 years in prison. District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said "violence against transit workers will not be tolerated in Brooklyn," signaling his office’s ongoing focus on attacks in the transit system.
Patrick Daley, the inspector who was grazed during the shooting, told the New York Daily News he was "feeling relieved that we got him, and justice was served today." Outside the courthouse, MTA officials and union representatives said the prison term sends a clear message that assaults on workers carry serious consequences.
What prosecutors say
Prosecutors say members of the MTA's EAGLE fare‑enforcement team boarded a B82 Select Bus Service bus at Flatlands Avenue and Louisiana Avenue and asked White to pay the $2.75 fare. When the bus left without him, they say, he returned to the stop, pulled a loaded .45‑caliber pistol from his backpack and fired 10 rounds at the inspectors, grazing one in the right calf, according to a press release. The wounded inspector was treated and released at Kings County Hospital. Investigators recovered nine shell casings and two bullets at the scene, and surveillance footage helped identify White, who was arrested the following day, prosecutors said.
Legal details
White pleaded guilty to four counts of second‑degree attempted murder on March 23, 2026, and admitted to illegally purchasing the firearm used in the attack, according to court filings. Reporting by the New York Daily News notes that prosecutors also cited prior convictions and multiple earlier stints in state prison, including a 2014 weapons‑possession case that was later overturned.
Transit worker safety in context
The sentencing comes as officials and unions continue to press for stronger protections after a string of violent incidents involving transit workers. Last December, NY1 reported that a Bronx man received the same 15‑year sentence after pleading guilty to stabbing an MTA conductor, a case union leaders pointed to while demanding better safety measures.
Inspectors and advocates say this week’s sentence offers a measure of closure for those caught in the crossfire at the bus stop, but they argue that long‑term fixes will require changes in technology, staffing and day‑to‑day safety practices on the ground. For now, White’s guilty plea and prison term stand as a stark outcome to a case that began with a routine fare check and erupted into a brazen attack on city workers.
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