Photo by Chris Rief

A Metrobus driver was slashed in the face by a passenger in Tenleytown this afternoon.

According to WMATA spokesman Dan Stessel, an altercation aboard an H4 bus near the Tenleytown Metro arose at approximately 1 p.m. between a 65-year-old male and the driver. Stessel says the male didn’t want to pay for the bus fare and punched the driver in the face while holding a blade in his fist.

The driver sustained a laceration to his face and was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. The suspect was detained by Metropolitan Police Department officers, who were the first to respond. Metro Transit Police arrested the suspect, who gave a full confession and is being charged with assault with a deadly weapon.