A former author for the HULU collection “The Bear” was handcuffed on a New York Metropolis Metro-North prepare on Thursday.
Whereas en path to Connecticut, Alex O’Keefe, 31, was detained by regulation enforcement after “one white lady” allegedly took problem together with his presence on board.
“I used to be arrested on the @MTA prepare to Connecticut at the moment, pulled off, handcuffed, and detained,” O’Keefe wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday. “An previous white lady received on the prepare and instantly pointed at me and informed me to appropriate how I used to be sitting. I refused so she went to the conductor and complained.”
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O’Keefe defined that the prepare got here to a halt, and police ultimately arrived on the scene. Within the video put up, he may be heard saying that he was the “one Black dude on the prepare.” He later claimed the incident was racially motivated.
“Whereas ready for the police to reach, the previous Karen’s good friend mentioned, ‘You’re not the minority anymore.’ The police informed me to go away the prepare, I refused and requested what was I doing illegally,” O’Keefe mentioned.
Officers informed O’Keefe he was being escorted off the prepare as a result of he was “disturbing the peace.” He was subsequently detained and interrogated, and later launched.
“Solely black people stayed close by and recorded the arrest,” he wrote. “After I demanded a lawyer and reminded them they didn’t even take an announcement from the girl who complained they ultimately launched me. This nation is rising extra psycho by the day. What is going to you do about it?”
The MTA addressed the incident in an announcement obtained by People.
“A conductor reported a passenger occupying two seats had refused to take away his ft from one of many seats,” the assertion learn. “When MTAPD officers boarded, he refused police route to exit. Officers informed the passenger to depart the prepare onto the platform, the place he would have the ability to board a following prepare.”
MTA Chairman Janno Lieber additionally spoke about the incident during a press conference on Monday, noting that he hasn’t “seen” the footage.
“Should you’re placing your ft on the seats, you’re breaking the foundations of our commuter railroad and of the subways of the entire MTA,” he said.
He reiterated having not “seen the video,” however emphasised the company’s coverage.
“The underside line is, he shouldn’t have delayed the prepare by arguing with everyone for a very long time,” he mentioned. “The police should become involved as a result of someone gained’t take his ft off the seat? That’s a scenario that the one who did that must rethink… Simply take your ft off the seat. It’s that easy. And respect different passengers. However we’ll check out the video and cope with all of the dramas that appear to come back out of those easy interactions as of late.”
