Man stabbed to death after argument aboard MTA bus in the Bronx

By John Dias

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — Police say an argument aboard an MTA bus turned deadly late Sunday night.

Now, they’re searching for two suspects in the case.

The victim, identified as 55-year-old Lamont Barkley, was stabbed to death around 10 p.m. near East 149th Street and Gerard Avenue in the Concourse neighborhood.

Police said a man and woman got into a fight with Barkley, which escalated when the man pulled out a weapon and stabbed him multiple times.

Barkley was pronounced dead at the hospital.

“Things have gotten so out of hand lately,” one Bronx commuter told CBS2, adding incidents like this have her rethinking the city’s public transit system. “I don’t trust the bus… People’s tension is so high right now, so any little thing can break out into something big.”

The attack comes as authorities are trying to crack down on crimes on public transit. According to the latest NYPD stats, transit crime is up almost 42% compared to this time last year.

Just last Thursday, three people were stabbed in separate subway attacks. Over the weekend, there were several more attacks on the subway, including a 17-year-old boy who was jumped by six men Saturday at the East 53rd Street and Lexington Avenue station. The group began punching and kicking him, then one stabbed him multiple times.

“It scares me, it really scares me,” one commuter said.

“You hear on the news, always something going on. We need to be more secure,” another rider added.

The MTA”s chief safety and security officer recently put out a statement, writing “We’ve said before, anyone who targets transit riders or employees will have their picture taken and the NYPD will bring them to justice.”

When it comes to the latest fatal stabbing, police have yet to make an arrest.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.

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