BOSTON — A 26-year-old man with a prior conviction for illegal firearm possession pulled a loaded .40-caliber Beretta on a fellow passenger aboard an MBTA bus Sunday evening — the latest in a relentless string of violent incidents plaguing Boston's public transit system.

MBTA Transit Police said the suspect removed the weapon from his waistband and threatened another rider on a bus traveling along Meriden Street around 6 p.m. on February 23. He was arrested and transported to Transit Police headquarters for booking.

2/23 6PM a 26y/o male w/a prior conviction for illegal poss. of a firearm was again armed w/a 40cal Beretta/removed it from his waistband & threatened another passenger onboard an #MBTA bus on Meriden St. SP was arrested & transported to TPDHQ for the arrest/booking process.

— MBTA Transit Police (@MBTATransitPD) February 24, 2026

The suspect — who was not named by police — had already been convicted of illegal firearm possession once before. That prior conviction apparently did little to deter him from arming himself again and boarding public transit with a loaded weapon.

A system under siege

The incident adds to what has become a near-weekly drumbeat of violence on the MBTA. A Mass Daily News review of Transit Police reports and our own coverage reveals a staggering pattern:

This month alone:

• Feb. 20: A 14-year-old was arrested for kicking a commuter into a moving train at Back Bay station on the Orange Line. The victim struck his head on the train as it passed.
• Feb. 21: Transit Police released images of a man who sucker-punched a female MBTA employee — just days after the teen attack.
• Feb. 18: A mob of 10 teens nearly killed an MBTA commuter in a group attack. Boston progressives responded by saying the teens "just need somewhere to hang out."

In recent months:

• January: Four teens arrested after a vicious attack on a young victim on the Orange Line left passengers terrified.
• January: Police hunted a suspect who grabbed a service dog and attacked a blind rider on the Red Line.
• December: A woman was rushed to the hospital after a maniac pushed her onto the tracks at North Station.
• November: We asked the question that many commuters were already thinking: "Is the MBTA safe to ride?" after rapes, random assaults, and armed teens were reported just days apart.
• September: A woman pushed an elderly rider off an MBTA bus in Roxbury. She was later arrested — and received no jail time.
• August: An MBTA cop was smashed in the head by a passenger at Andrew Station.

No consequences, more crime

The pattern is clear: violent offenders cycle through the system and end up right back on the T. Sunday's suspect had already been convicted of illegal gun possession — yet there he was, armed again, threatening riders on a public bus.

The woman who pushed an elderly passenger off a bus in September? No jail time. Teens who attack commuters? Released to their parents. Repeat offenders with active warrants? Riding the T freely.

When the Trump administration threatened to cut MBTA funding over the system's safety failures last year, state officials pushed back. But months later, the violence has only gotten worse.

Time for the feds to step in?

Last September, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy fired off a blistering letter to the MBTA demanding a full safety plan within two weeks. He accused Boston of embracing "soft-on-crime" policies that let "deranged criminals repeatedly terrorize public spaces" and threatened to cut federal transit funding if conditions didn't improve.

Five months later, a convicted felon is pulling a loaded Beretta on a bus. Teens are kicking commuters into moving trains. A mob of 10 nearly killed a rider. An employee was sucker-punched. And no one in city leadership seems to have a plan beyond press conferences.

Duffy warned this would happen. He said the money would stop flowing if the violence didn't stop. At this point, it might be time to take him up on it — because whatever Boston is doing clearly isn't working.

At some point, the city has to answer a simple question: who is the MBTA for — the commuters trying to get to work, or the criminals who've turned it into their playground?