Metro statement on video of young woman being removed by police from subway vehicle

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A Message from Metro CEO Phillip Washington:

As Metro continues to work with our partners at the Los Angeles Police Department on the investigation of a young woman being forcibly removed from a Metro subway train yesterday, I want to be clear about my position: We want our Customer Code of Conduct rules enforced, but I’m disappointed at the way the situation escalated.

As a 24-year retired U.S. Army veteran, I understand and respect our police officers and their day-to-day duty in working to keep our system safe and secure. They encounter hundreds of conduct issues each day, and some of them are faced with very difficult situations. But my hope is that we work to de-escalate situations as much as possible.

The investigation is underway to gather all the facts, and until we have the complete story, we must not rush to judgment. Meanwhile, we remain committed to enhancing safety and the overall rider experience for all of our customers, and look to our patrons to be our partners in that.

 

Categories: Policy & Funding, Transportation News

125 replies ›

    • Public transit is just that metrocenter, however its worth noting that metro is always reliable. if you don’t want to deal with the public google and apple have an app for that called Uber. your going to pay 10 times the transportation fee one way but you wont have to deal with the public. The sergeant obviously escalated the situation to physically violent with a little girl and then wasted taxpayer money by calling his crew to his scene. i guess even seasoned veterans make mistakes like serg whoever he is.

  2. Some people think they don’t need to follow any rules, or consider anybody else that they share public space with. And when they are confronted, they yell ‘oppression’. Wake up call: commuters are abandoning Metro Rail, especially the Blue Line. It’s not because of the cost, or even the slowness or reliability issues. It’s the antisocial behavior of people like this girl and others who think that anything goes, even in a public space.

  4. I have been on many metros across the world and have never experienced police foriceably removing an 18 year old girl for having her foot on a seat. Isn’t there something better this officer could be doing? Where was the officer when two men were smoking on a the train? It’s just absolutely ridiculous. The US is turning tyrannical and blundering it’s wealth. Good luck!

  5. Mr. Washington, your the CEO right? You approve the Code of Conduct for the trains, right?
    So who and how do you think they would get enforced? The LAPD right? So when they do so and get the response the young lady gave the LAPD Sergeant, What is your expectation? Are you going to enforce them yourself? Of course not, that’s why you have the LAPD for… right? You might want to rethink your initial response.

    Thanks

    Steve Williams

  6. Call me crazy for asking but how is it all this stems from a petite young girl not taking her feet off of a public seat? I mean it appears half the police force showed up when the girl was dragged off the train. Call me crazy again but it’s my opinion that maybe officers should be given ticket books and better training on how to better recognize threatening situations from non-threatening. the damage caused by the official response seems like a huge price for a simple girl not taking her feet off a public seat.

  7. Surprised she was not African America, but not much difference Latina…too aggressive for this rule. Maybe a ticket, that can build up. Not contact for sure, no pulling. Shame on them. Maybe a polite warning. Yes, we want policing, but the kind and gentle kind will go a long way on most people. Save this behavior for the real harming other people type criminals.

  8. I would like to commend the officer for enforcing the rules. The young girl escalated the situation by disobeying the officer (who was just doing his job) and mouthing off. I wish Metro would better support the police officers who deal with difficult people and circumstances everyday. This officer was harrassed by multiple ignorant youths who do not care about anyone other than themselves and kept his composure throughout. Keep up the good work LAPD.

  9. I’m sorry but I thought officers carried ticket books? Instead we got a tiny little girl probably having issues being physically dragged off a train I am sure she paid to be on. Then it appeared half the police force was present because of this big burly dangerous little girl lol. what a waste of taxpayer time and money! when I ride public transit I always look and wipe of the seat before sitting. so much for metro’s good reputation with stories like this. It’s my opinion that officers should be taught better people skills on top of knowing how to use physical force.

  10. As a regular rider on Metro I also cannot commend the officer enough for cracking down on unruly behavior. I regularly see people smoking pot on the platforms, playing loud music and homeless people sleeping in the stations. Please do more rule enforcement not less.

  11. Metro CEO should resign, and maybe the Metro Board as well. Ridership is declining. Safety is so bad. They need uniform police paid by tax payers riding on the trains. I still ride the metro all the time in DC and Baltimore and never see police on board. And when a CEO sets rules that he doesn’t want enforced, then it’s time for new leadership

  12. There may be no such thing as “fake news”, but there most certainly ARE FAKE HEADLINES out there, many saying that the woman was removed because she had her feet on a seat. Not true! She was removed after refusing to follow the officer’s lawful requests multiple times. The NERVE of this women to then turn the whole thing into a RACE issue. “She’s “standing up for MY people!”? Who would those people be? Members of RUDE, INCONSIDERATE, SELF CENTERED PEOPLE OF AMERICA? Where does the mentality come from that says that the entire freaking world is an extension of your living room and that you can put your filthy feet on chairs, study tables in libraries, etc.? Kudos to the officer involved, and a big BOO to the transit CEO who puts profit before supporting him.

  13. I take Metro trains and buses, not because I have to, but because I think it’s the environmentally responsible thing got do.

    I can tolerate some misbehavior but the misbehavior is getting worse. Yesterday afternoon, I was on an Expo Line train where three teenagers (two girls and one boy), all bearing shirts from a private high school, got into a huge screaming match, which went on and on. It finally ended when one of them threw a full milkshake container at one of the others. The kid was covered with milkshake and there was milkshake all over the floor, which was a sticky, hazardous mess.

    Yes, we need Metro officers on board and, yes, they need to enforce the conduct rules for the safety and comfort of everyone.

    • I think the question is how they choose to enforce the rules, not if they should or not. You really think someone should be ARRESTED for putting their feet on a seat? TIcket, done, onto the next one.

      • I keep seeing this same response of ticket the person and move on in comments on this incident. In most accounts I’ve read, the person removed from the train did not have an ID (she allegedly told the officer she was on the way to the DMV to get one) and only gave her name. How is the officer supposed to ticket the person if they do not provide an ID and address?

        • In California, you are not required to carry identification. Police issue citations without ID. From what I understand, they have alternate methods of verifying personal data. I didn’t see anything about her refusing to provide this data (though I could be wrong, of course).

  14. Mr. Washington is an embarrassment to the Metro system. I ride Metro. I see rude people hogging up two seats, eating on board, playing music and generally ignoring all codes of conduct. Yet when one officer does his duty by asking this young rude woman to obey the courteous rules and she reacts to get her face on media, Mr. Washington criticizes the police officer. If he doesn’t want enforcement, then take down the rules, remove all security and police personnel and let chaos reign, What a cowardly statement by this executive. Civility is losing in our society today and now Mr. Washington has contributed to that loss of civility. Shame on him. Be willing to step forward and apologize for your initial statement and stand with citizens and law enforcement to make Metro a safe, courteous and comfortable system.

  15. I am very disappointed With Mr. Washington for not supporting the LAPD officer for properly doing his job under extreme distress. Is he now saying it is OK for officers to look the other way when some one is eating and leaving their trash, not paying their fare, putting their feet on the seats, playing loud music, being rude as disruley on the trains?

    I am a frequent Blue and Red Line rider and my safety, comfort and well being is not always assured on my trips. I ride by choice, but driving instead is looking better all the time due to safety and unruly fellow riders.

    The MTA needs more officer who are willing to enforce the rules and make sure the riders have paid their fare, a director who is also willing to enforce the rules and passenger safety on trains and buses, but most impotent is to support his officers who are doing their job properly. Not afraid because their superiors are unwilling to do their job or face this kind of unfavorable comments. Is anarchy what they want?

  16. If the L.A. metro trains had bench seats along each side of the cars–as opposed to forward- and rearward-facing seats,–it would be much more difficult to place one’s feet on them! I believe that the New York subways have that configuration to relieve overcrowding and to create more standing room.

    • Yeah, because the one thing I enjoy is standing on my entire 2 hour commute. No thanks, seating is already an issue on the Expo Line during rush hour with the current seating configuration, but still able to grab a seat at one point during my ride.

      Also, how is the “New York Subway Style” forward facing of seating gonna stop a homeless person from taking 3-5 seats to sleep in that configuration versus 2-3 as they are now??

      Want an example? I’m on the 704 right now, and 1 guy is taking up 3 seats just sleeping.

      There are so many other reason why the seating configuration is just outright terrible, but it’s honestly not worth mentioning.

  18. If not for the boorish behavior of this young woman, none of this would have happened. Her outrage was completely misplaced – the officer had every right, no, a duty to remove an unruly, uncooperative person from the metro. She was in the wrong, absolutely.

    Spitting is always uncouth, and directed at a person, is an assault.

    • Yes, unless you are PEACEFULLY petitioning for your rights ala MLK–(BTW no spitting allowed!)–when a cop tells you to leave, you leave!

  20. I think is about time police deal with this disrespectful people, that show not even a little manners toward the rest of the riders…

  21. I just want to voice my opinion about the LAPD officer who arrested the 18-year-old passenger on the Red Line Monday, January 22. As a frequent rider on the Metro trains I am 100% behind the actions of the officer. I am fed up with passengers eating, playing loud music, putting their feet on the seats, taking up more than one seat when the train is standing room only, shouting, throwing trash and generally disregarding other passengers. I would give the officer a gold medal for having the guts to arrest this woman. We need more officers like him on the Metro trains!

  22. Thank goodness Phil Washington revised his statement. The police officer didn’t do anything wrong and while it is definitely unfortunate the situation escalated, people need to abide by the conduct policy and the police should be enforcing those rules. Pretty simple.

  24. I actually totally disagree with the CEO’s response. If you have rules, and you want them enforced, then how do you suggest the officer respond when she was asked to take her foot off and not only did she refuse but she then mouthed off to the officer and resisted arrest? Allow her to be disrespectful to a police officer? Tell the world it’s okay to defy a law enforcement officer’s commands and directions? There was no abuse of power or police brutality here and I guarantee you that by the time he started recording, it was no longer about her foot on the seat. That’s not why she was removed or arrested (and yes girl, even if you’ve paid to be on the train, you don’t get to resist removal from the train by a law enforcement officer). As a teacher, I see this all of the time in the classroom. Kids no longer are taught to respect rules or people of authority by their parents, so they don’t, and it’s only getting worse because it’s parents like hers who enable and allow this behavior by constantly making excuses for their kids’ bad behavior. The fact that her mom (who wasn’t even there) insists that her daughter was just innocently sitting there minding her own business with her foot only on the edge of her own seat and was not being loud or boisterous or rude or blocking people (because I’m sure she believes everything her kids tells her and has made excuses for her all of her life which is why she is now 18 and acts this way) and is now claiming injury and getting a lawyer speaks volumes. It’s called enabling and that’s how your kids become brats. What I see in this video is a clear sign of disrespect toward an officer. I’m sure what really happened is that she had been asked to remove her foot and she refused or she mouthed off to the officer/gave attitude. Had she simply done as she was asked (which again, it’s the rule) without attitude or mouthing off, this never would have escalated. So it’s the officer’s fault for the situation escalating? She was resisting and fighting with him and mouthing off and clearly didn’t follow his directions and only made the situation worse. So, contrary to the video poster and equally disrespectful woman who needlessly inserted herself into the situation and spat at officers just for some camera time so she could pull the race card, she was not arrested for having her foot on the seat. She was arrested for being a jerk and anyone no matter what color their skin would have been arrested for the same thing: for mouthing off, for spitting at an officer, for being disrespectful of authority and for refusing to follow rules. If you don’t want officers enforcing the rules, why have them there? If you don’t care about rules being followed, why have them posted? I stopped riding the metro line and public transit a long time ago because of the stuff I saw and witnessed on the trains and I didn’t feel safe AT ALL, so I’m glad to finally see there are officers patrolling the trains. I have zero problem with this brat being kicked off or the person spitting at the officers being arrested. Maybe the metro will finally clean itself up so that more respectful considerate people can ride it. It’s about time officers are patrolling the trains and I hope to see more of it.

  25. The officer should be given a medal. He was courteous during the whole incident while the lady and certain onlookers screamed, swore, and surrounded him. The guy who filmed the incident had a camera in his face the whole time giving ridiculous running commentary. Not once during the nine minutes of video did the officer lose his cool. Mr. Washington should have to explain to the board and the public his comments. In my opinion he should also be fired.

  26. This girls (and her darling friend’s)’main infraction wasn’t the feet on the seat. It was failure to comply to a simple request, resisting arrest, impeding an investigation and battery (by spit lol). I take the train too. You don’t like the rules don’t ride. This was reasonable beyond all logic. You have to empathize with the officer completely. If someone effectively flips younthe bird for a simple request that is part of the train standards you wonder what worse they are capable of. I too would kick her off. Good Job LAPD. SHAME YOU ladies.

  27. As an ex railroader and long-time transit motorman, I’ve just about seen it all.

    Our “good” passengers DESERVE a transportation experience in which they feel safe, secure, comfortable and at ease.

    Three cheers to the L.A.P.D. for enforcing BASIC STANDARDS of travel so that everyone else can enjoy the experience.

    As a Locomotive Engineer and Transit Motorman, I’ve had enough of what we here in Australia call “ferals”. I say, “Pull ’em off our trains and book them!”.

    Sean Kelly.

  28. This is not a case of a power-hungry police officer demanding respect. This is a case of someone who violated the rules, looked into the cop’s face and said that she would not follow the rules, and was detained and cited.

    Rude people: I don’t want to sit on seats you put your dirty shoes on. I don’t want to be stepping on your French fries. I don’t want to hear your music. Learn some courtesy, and learn the rules. They are for everybody’s comfort. Think beyond yourself for a change.

  29. The way I understand this is that you called the cops now you’re complaining that they overreacted. People who don’t obey the rules need a strict message that they will have to suffer the consequences. I don’t feel any pity for that girl, she had it coming.

    • Yes, it is just like the situation last year when a woman called to report a sexual assault in the alley behind her house; and when she approached the police car that responded to her call, she was shot and killed in her pajamas outside her own house. The police are shooting first and asking questions later in situations where they should be using discernment. The people being chosen for the police force are deliberately being selected if they show sadistic tendencies then they are given heavy military type training that is inappropriate for police work. They are supposed to be peace keepers in civilian life, pillars of the community. We should not expect police to behave like bullies and thugs. Police need training in police work, not in how to physically abuse naughty girls. We know from extensive research that this type of behaviour leads to violence. Police need to be trained to de-escalate, not deliberately provoke.

  30. PS please edit my reply. The word ‘not’ was left out of one sentence. This is the sentence ‘Police should not have the power to be that aggressive.” Thank you

  31. Of course, under no circumstance should someone spit on a police officer or any public servant, even if POTUS encourages incivility–like permitting the Border Patrol to dump life-saving water buckets left for our brothers and sisters and their kids in the hot, dry desert regardless of them having “papers” or not. This may come as a shock to some, but the police are human beings too, even if they are not behaving as such. I hope, but don’t know for sure, that this will all be sorted out before a judge and if need a jury. That said Mr. Washington must show professionalism and nuetrality, which from my experience with metro, is not management’s strong suits.

    • thomas this may come as a shock to you but aiding and abetting someone to come into the united states is a federal crime. if i was thirsty would it be ok if i broke into your house drank from your faucet that you then had to pay for ?

      • Tom Savio Responds to a Source reader: “For I hungered, and you gave Me to eat; I thirsted, and you gave Me to drink [consider the innocent children]; I was a stranger. and you took me in;” Matt: 25:35,

  32. The police need to be trained not to create confrontations like this. This entire episode was precipitated by the police, exacerbated by the police and escalated by the police.

    Criminalising ordinary behaviour and especially targeting smaller more vulnerable people is making the USA a very scary place to be. This is a very small, female from a racial minority group, a poster girl for police abuse of power. Yes, bad language would not have helped her situation, but she must have felt incredibly threatened and overwhelmed as well as physically injured, which is what prompts most of us to start swearing. Arresting the woman who attempted to protect the young woman was unconscionable. What a sickening episode! It would be good to know how this turns out in the end.

    There are ways of saying ‘keep your feet off the seats’ without the situation erupting into a large, very strong and militarily trained man forcibly dragging a tiny girl off the train and arresting her as well as a witness coming to her aid.

    The police started the entire event. They are there to keep the peace not to disturb the peace. This girl was treated shamefully. The police earned the contempt she showed them. I realise that a lot of young people nowadays are pretty rude and generally disrespectful, tending to over-know their rights and under-know their responsibilities.

    At the same time, a foot on a seat of the train should not end up with two people being arrested and a girl being physically assaulted. Police should have the power to be that aggressive. It seems they are being given aggressive military type training and then, for want of an opportunity to employ that aggression, they are using it in situations of minimal civil disobedience, far exceeding what is a right and proper course of action.

    Pity the relationship between the police and public in the USA has deteriorated so much and in such a widespread way. Rather than the old stereotype of police confrontation with gangs in NYC, there is now an ongoing ‘them and us’ game being played out across the entire country. The public have an image of police as the enemy and the police treat everyone as criminal. This is a really sad sad situation.

    • Normally, the rule breakers bully the quiet riders into silence. Every single day. There is very little law enforcement on the trains. And commuters usually just have to put up with it, or risk a confrontation with a fellow passenger. This one didn’t get away with it. Boo hoo. As a minority, I’m especially offended at her pulling the race card. Defying a lawful order makes a person subject to arrest. I’m glad it happened.

    • All the young lady had to do was follow the rules and she wouldn’t have been dragged off the train. The police did not start the event. The young woman started the event by breaking the rules. Had she been following the rules in the first place the police wouldn’t have asked her to remove her feet from the seat.

    • I agree totally and have taken lots of heat for saying the exact same thing today.

    • So would it be appropriate for the officer to treat a white male of his own size and statue this way?

      • Hmm . . . would he? That’s an interesting question. Perhaps if it was not someone so vulnerable, such an easy target, he would have just pulled out his gun and shot him. The death penalty for feet on seat. The problem is that police need to be selected for and trained to understand and lower the temperature in interactions such as this. A one size fits all response is bound to result in overuse and abuse of force. Once the police start getting hot under the collar, it seems they have no pressure valve, no off switch. They only go one direction. This is a mark of feeble mindedness or mental imbalance; or, at the very least an unreasonable sense of entailment and superiority. A person with training and skill, which is a natural part of the job, should have been able to handle this situation without it becoming so violent.

      • Of course, don’t know why you think he wouldn’t. As a white male of his size and stature, I learned a long time ago the only thing you say to police is “Yes, sir” and “No, sir.” If you don’t like the way he’s performing his job, you make a beef after the fact.
        And that girl should keep her dang feet off the seats. Being a short woman does not make her immune to laws.

  33. If Phil doesn’t want cops to enforce things like feet on the seats, loud music, and manspreading, then he needs to say so, and us riders will have to put up with it.

  34. This is pathetic. The Metro CEO issues a statement before the investigation is over? We do not know the full story. We need to know all the facts before making a conclusion.

    Our police deserve better than to be shot from behind by a bureaucrat before the facts are in.

  35. I guess Mr Washington has never used his system. I rarely see security, but DO see obnoxious behavior by jerk riders. Three cheers to the police.

  36. As a Los Angeles County taxpayer and Metro rider, I am writing to commend the sergeant involved in the Bethany Renee Nava incident on the Metro Red Line 01/23/18. He exercised amazing restraint in dealing with this disrespectful and entitled offender, despite being spat on and persistently antagonized by “bystanders.”

    His actions should be found within the parameters of appropriate use of force. He should be commended for keeping our trains clean and safe, and for acting in the public interest despite threats to his personal safety. He is helping to create a Metro that I want to ride.

  37. Phil Washington’s statement is disappointing. It’s unfortunate that this situation escalated so quickly but this is exactly the type of policing I want on the trains. Follow the code of conduct or don’t ride. The young woman wasn’t following the code of conduct so she was properly removed from the train. I hope code of conduct enforcement activities continue as there are many other riders that also need to be removed from the system for violations.

    • As a commuter i completely agree with your comments. As most commuters in the morning are complaining that the Officers are not doing their job this is good news. Rules are in place for reasons. We can not have chaos on the subway.

    • I agree with LAPD Supporter. Follow the code of conduct or don’t ride. It’s as simple as that. That “lady” saying “I paid to to be on the train” just makes me sick to my stomach… All you have to do is put your feet down and show some respect for the officer. Thank you LAPD for making our public transportation safer and CLEANER!!!! Please also stop all these hoodlums from playing their trap music…

      Phil Washington, I have no comments for you. I think you redacted your statement after seeing these comments.

      • Couldn’t figure out how to leave a comment so I’m replying to yours which mirrors my own thoughts! I stand with the officer. He did not violently remove her, she violently refused. She called the race card when he targeted her conduct not her color! THAT does not help the humans who face genuine racism daily! Thanks for letting me add to this discussion.

  39. This *is* the sort of policing I want to see. Laws and regulations need to be enforced broadly on Metro’s trains. The Blue Line in particular has become very unpleasant for normal riders, because too many other people think the rules don’t apply to them.

    I don’t want to sit on a seat where this woman put her dirty shoes. I don’t want to listen to someone else’s music, or step on people’s french fries. I shouldn’t have to beg someone sprawled out across multiple seats to let me sit down.

    The rules are there for everybody’s comfort. People who break the rules should be cited and removed from the train.

  41. Of course I don’t know all the details of what happened on the train, but it recalls what a friend once told me. He was a physcologist for an adjacent county. One of his tasks was to review new law enforcement applications. He kept rejecting nearly every candidate until his boss, asked why. My friend replied that most applicants showed sadistic tendencies on standard tests. To which his boss replied: “We want some sadistic tendencies–but no too much–otherwise the cop won’t give an old lady a parking ticket and the county needs the revenue!” True story and this is the cause of much some police misbehavior. However, it also takes real “cajones” for them to fight off the likes of the San Berdoo terrorists a few of years ago–and thank god so many cops answered the call to protect from such chaos. However, you can’t expect these officers, armed to the teeth and with targets on their backs not be a little “jumpy” in some incidents. So what do you do? My late father taught me when I was in grammar school that: “When a cop tells you to do something, do it–he’s got a gun!” If you feel you have been wronged, we’ll call on the chief at the local police station. Of course, that was the 1950s in the “Hell’s Kitchen” section of what was then, the greatest city in the world–New York.

  42. I think riders would like to know how Metro intends to enforce metro etiquette on trains. While this incident escalated perhaps beyond what would be hoped for, it does remain that the girl refused to take her feet down and then refused to leave the train. I think most riders appreciate the ability of an officer to correct such behavior that is detrimental to the bus and train experience. A citation perhaps?

  43. I was worried about aggressive use of force by LAPD when the policing contract changed. The former contract with the Sheriff’s department was far from perfect, but the brutality and militarism of LAPD is a great shame of our city.

    • Brutality? Really Ryan? This is far from brutal or militaristic. The law allows for the amount of force necessary to affect an arrest. She was resisting…watch the video.

  44. Thank you Phil Washington for not defending police mis-conduct just because the girl was in the wrong, like so many other have on facebook.

  45. I don’t see the problem. The Metro is much safer when cops crack down on people who break the rules. Maybe next time they can also ticket people who bring loud radios into the car, or teens who eat and litter. Thank you LAPD!

  46. GOOD FOR THE OFFICER! The “lady” violated the rules and all sense of decency by putting her feet on a seat, refused a reasonable request by the officer to comply with the rules, was ejected from the train, and then she and another woman were physically and verbally abusive toward the officer. Either the rules mean something or they don’t. In my book, they do and need to be enforced, even if sometimes that means an unpleasant confrontation. Prosecute the two women to the full extent of the law — it may serve as a warning to others. And stand up for the officer!

    • Let’s pray it be a better day tomorrow for all of us. We are all guilty of some rule breaking in our life

    • The full extent of the law here would be a ticket. Which is what should have happened in the first place. Ridiculous that it was escalated beyond that. The officer was being as childish as the rider.

      • Police officer’s are not punching bags, they are public servants who are paid to Enforce the Law. He did his job properly. That girl chose to be repeatedly non-compliant and verbally abusive to him. In choosing her actions, she also chose her consequences.

    • I agree the lady made a mistake. But she took her feet off the seat as soon as the Officer told her to. She only objected on getting off the train. Forcing her to get off the train was absolutely uncalled for! Thats why she escalated. This situation could have been handled in a better manner.

    • Amen. I ride rail all the time. I’m sick of rude inconsiderate people. All she had to do was follow the officers request to obey the train rules! Your feet on the seat it makes it dirty for the next person using that seat, after a while that seat will be disgusting!

  48. I disagree with your stance on this. The Metro should have common sense standards of behavior that shouldn’t need to be enforced (such as no seat hogging). But, when an enforcement officer has to enforce them and attempts to do so, then they should be complied with. He maybe could use some de-escalation training, but the rider is the person who is far more at fault here. You need to back the people who enforce the rules if you want the Metro trains to be a pleasant place to ride. What a shame.

      • He wouldn’t have even been able to give her a ticket because she was apparently going to the DMV to pick up her ID…
        Also, the officers would usually take people off the train and then ticket them because the train is crowded and the officers have to worry about bystanders reaching for their weapon or attacking them.

  49. Its about time that these people are delt with. I would be very suprise if either of them had a TAP CARD .. Anyone that spits on a police officer, is asking for trouble. I ride METRO-RAIL all the time, I wish there were more police on the trains to deal with these problems. The trains are turning in to a ZOO. I support the actions taken by the LAPD 100%. Ralph Cantos

  50. So, is it ok to have your feet on another seat? Being a seat hog? If asked by the police to stop, you stop. Then the person has an attitude with the police?

    • Her feet were on her own seat not other seat. I too feel it could have been handle better there is a lot more serouse crimes committed. Like Hilary Clinton. Lol. Let’s not those who we empower have power over our civil liberties with out questions

      • NO FEET ON THE SEATS……it could have been handled better by the violator simply saying “I’m sorry officer, I’ll take my feet off the seat”…Sergeant would have said, “thank you ma’am, have a great day”

        • Exactly. Not all police officers are bad. Just because some bad apples have done awful things we can’t label all police officers the same. That’s where all this is coming from.

      • No ,,her feet were on another seat. Where you there. ?? A lot of people in that train saw. .the officer had a body camera..SO IT WILL BE PROVEN WHAT REALLY HAPPENED. It was not the first time he told her. NOT THE FIRST TIME ..SHE WAS CALLING HIM NAMES.

    • train is full. the only seat she could have her feet up on is the handicap seat someone is sitting in. the command was simple and rational. take your feet off the seat.

      the response from the young woman was irrational and confrontational to a police officer issuing a simple common sense courteous to those around you command. She kept escalating from there to purposely cause a scene and that’s what she got. she resisted physically the entire time and could have changed the outcome at any moment.

    • This past summer we finally started seeing improvement in the quality of life on train and bus commutes on the Metro lines when the LAPD assumed policing duties in the Los Angeles area. I feel safer and less apprehensive when I ride because people who disregard the rules of conduct are being brought to task. The clean up of the blue line has been amazing. This snowflake needed to be put off the train. SHE created the situation. SHE made a scene. The officer’s “use of force” did not look excessive to me. Good for him! Throw her off! Shame on Phil Washington for criticizing an officer doing the job of enforcing the MTA code of conduct.

    • Policing does not always look nice. Every once in awhile it gets a little ugly. When people don’t comply with an officer’s reasonable request they should face actual consequences and not just more words of “pretty please do this.” This girl obviously had issues and needed a “tune up.” Good job, officer!

      • Kudos!!! Actually LAPD is much nicer and less aggressive compared to when the Sheriff’s Department was safeguarding Metro. they would not put up with ANYTHING AT ALL! You would see four or five of them and they would not hesitate stopping you. now it’s so laid-back and people are still giving attitude really?

    • Disorderly Conduct
       Fighting, making threats or posing a clear and present
      danger to other persons is not allowed on any Metro vehicle or facility
       Urinating or defecating, on Metro property is not allowed
       No persons shall destroy, cover, deface with graffiti,
      remove, damage, or tamper with a Metro poster, sign,
      advertisement, or notice
       No placing feet on seats or furnishing

      she brought this upon herself……….

    • The Metro trains and buses are PUBLIC SPACES. I often see fellow riders with their feet on the seats and I wonder if the person is confused… do they think they’re in their own living room?! 100% behind the police on this one.