MTA subway operator beaten with pipe by angry Manhattan rider

An MTA subway operator was beaten with a pipe by an angry Manhattan rider after the train reached its last stop, police said Tuesday.

The train operator had just taken the C train out of service at the 168 St. station in Washington Heights — the last stop on the Eighth Ave. local line — and was asking everyone to disembark about 11:45 p.m. Sunday when a rider started arguing.

The operator asked the man to leave the train but he refused, cops were told.

As the argument continued, the rider pulled out a box cutter and a pipe and jumped the train operator, cops said. He struck the MTA employee repeatedly in the face with the pipe before running out of the station.

Medics rushed the train operator to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia, where he was treated for minor injuries.

Cops on Tuesday released surveillance images of the suspect, who wore a gray sweatshirt and bucket hat, in the hopes someone recognizes him. He was carrying a silver suitcase as he fled the station, cops said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.