A Metrobus driver had a gun brandished at them Friday evening before a verbal fight between two riders turned physical, according to Metro Transit police. The incident happened around 5:15 p.m. near Silver Hill Road and Royal Plaza Drive in Prince George's County, and police say no shots were fired before a suspect was taken into custody.
According to WTOP, a female bus rider showed a handgun at the bus driver, then got into a verbal fight with another rider that turned physical. Prince George's County police and Metro Transit police both responded to the scene, the station reported. As detailed by DC News Now, Metro Transit police said the woman brandished the firearm at the driver, then got into a verbal altercation that turned physical.
A preliminary investigation found that no bullets were fired, and the suspect was taken into custody in connection with the brandishing, per the same WTOP account. WTOP reported that the woman showed the gun before the verbal dispute turned physical.
A Separate Gun Incident on a Different Route
The Silver Hill Road confrontation is not the only recent case of a weapon surfacing on a Metrobus in Prince George's County. In a separate incident described by DC News Now, Metro Transit police said an argument began between two people on a P20 bus near Annapolis Road and 85th Street before a firearm was brandished, and a victim was injured while fleeing and taken to a hospital with minor injuries. That case is a distinct incident from the one near Silver Hill Road and Royal Plaza Drive.
Driver Safety Has Been a Recurring Flashpoint
Confrontations between riders and Metrobus operators have drawn attention elsewhere in the region recently. In Silver Spring, a man was shown on video punching a Metrobus operator multiple times after the operator told him the fare was $2.25, according to NBC4 Washington. The outlet reported that Metro's union, ATU Local 689, said it believes the transit agency's “quote the fare” policy change could lead to more assaults on operators.
Metro has said its own crime data shows drops across Metrorail, Metrobuses, and Metro parking lots over the past 12 months, though the station's report did not include a numerical breakdown of those figures. Metro General Manager Randy Clarke told the outlet that the agency has invested over $15 million in bus operator shields, adding that roughly 450 buses are now 100% enclosed.
