WASHINGTON — The police are asking for the public’s help in finding the man they say assaulted and seriously injured a Ride On bus driver — while the bus was moving.

The Montgomery County police said that the suspect, along with other passengers, got onto a Ride On Bus a bit before 1 a.m. Tuesday before it left the Shady Grove Metro station parking lot and headed toward Frederick Road.

Shortly after the bus left the station, the police said in a statement, the driver and the suspect got into a verbal altercation, and the driver began to call the police. The suspect took the driver’s phone and began hitting him with it, the police said.

The driver continued to drive for about a mile and a half before stopping on the 15900 block of Frederick Road and opening the doors. That’s when the suspect left the bus and rode off on the bicycle he had brought with him.

The driver was taken to a hospital with what the police described as serious injuries.

The police released surveillance photos of the suspect, and are asking anyone who recognizes him, or knows anything else about the incident, to call them at 240-773-6084. If you want to stay anonymous, you can call Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS.