Statement from MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber on Change of Plea by Samuel White in Brooklyn Supreme Court to Guilty of Attempted Murder in the Shooting of EAGLE Inspectors

Statement from MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber:

"This was a senseless attack: the EAGLE team inspectors asked the fare-evading perp to leave a bus - without even writing him a ticket - and he pulled a gun and started firing. I went to court on the first day of trial myself to deliver the message that we will never tolerate attacks on MTA workers who are just trying to serve the public. As a result of diligent investigation by the NYPD and persistence by Brooklyn prosecutors, this bullet-spraying criminal won't be hurting anyone else for a long time."

Additional Information:

On April 18, 2023 at 6:21 a.m., Samuel White boarded a B82 bus, without paying the fare, at the Flatlands Ave/Louisiana Ave bus stop. The EAGLE team asked him to exit the bus and escorted him off. After the bus left, White pulled a gun and shot at the team, hitting one of the inspectors in the leg. No passengers were injured.

White was arrested the next day and charged with five counts of attempted murder, which he pleaded guilty to on March 23, 2026. NYPD attributed the quick arrest to "crystal clear" surveillance video from a bus camera.