NYPD Tackle, Arrest Unarmed Black Teen for Not Paying Subway Fare
Footage shows this unarmed Black teenager being tackled to the ground and violently arrested by NYPD officers.
NYPD officers tackled an unarmed man with his hands up on the New York subway. He was then arrested for not paying the $2.75 subway fare.
Police said they followed 19-year-old Adrian Napier into the subway because a witness told them he had a gun. During the pursuit, he allegedly snuck past the turnstile and got into a train car. A group of officers waited for the car doors to reopen, and as soon as they opened, the group tackled him to the floor and handcuffed him — but didn’t find a gun. Police charged him with theft of services for not paying the subway fare.
Earlier this year, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that an additional 500 officers would be stationed by public transportation stops to deter fare evasion, sparking outcry and plenty of debates online.
“...The MTA is still plagued by problems of public safety, attacks against transit workers and persistent fare evasion - issues that have only worsened in recent years,” Cuomo stated. “This new multi-pronged effort will improve safety on the system overall, protect workers from these incomprehensible assaults, and deter fare evasion by deploying 500 new uniformed officers on our subways and buses.”
On Twitter, video footage of the subway altercation has been viewed millions of times, with many connecting it to Cuomo’s policy announcement.
Video footage also surfaced of police attacking and punching several teenagers during an altercation at Brooklyn’s Jay Street-MetroTech subway station over the weekend. The NYPD said that five people, ranging from 15 to 18 years old, were arrested and charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and assaulting a police officer. Several have spoken out against the violence, including civil rights activist Shaun King.