Metro CEO criticizes police
‘Our riders deserve better,’ transit chief says after a woman was pulled off a train.
“Our riders deserve better,” the transit chief says after a young woman was pulled off a train and detained.
The chief executive of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Wednesday said he was “extremely disappointed” by a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant’s treatment of a young woman who was pulled from a subway train and detained because she refused to take her foot off a seat.
“Our riders deserve better,” Phil Washington said in a statement. “We want the Metro system to be a safe environment for everyone. I expect more from our law enforcement partners.”
Bystander video of the incident was posted to Facebook on Monday and follows a recent police crackdown on code-of-conduct violations on trains. Such violations include eating, drinking, vaping, gambling, littering and placing feet or shoes on seats.
The LAPD began a use-of-force investigation Monday after receiving a complaint about the incident at the Westlake/MacArthur Park station, Deputy Chief Bob Green said. Two women were detained in the incident.
This “is still under investigation, but I want to be clear: This is not the kind of policing I want in our system,” Washington said.
The Metro system is patrolled by multiple agencies, including the LAPD, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Long Beach Police Department and Metro security personnel, the transit agency said.
On Wednesday, Luis Carrillo, an attorney representing the young woman, Bethany Nava, said, “The sergeant’s behavior is totally unacceptable.” He said that Nava’s feet had been tucked under her body and that the lawman’s actions were disproportionate to what happened. The sergeant escalated the situation unnecessarily, he said.
An LAPD source said that the sergeant had asked Nava to remove her foot earlier and that she had done so, but that he returned and her foot was back up.
The video shows him telling her to get off the train. After she refused, he grabbed her arm and pulled her off as she clung to a railing. She complained that the sergeant wasn’t allowing her to get her cellphone and other belongings.
Once off the train, the sergeant held Nava’s arms behind her back. People in the station gathered around, and an onlooker recorded the encounter.
When people protested, saying Nava was only 18, he responded, “I don’t care.”
Onlookers swore at the sergeant, telling him he was engaging in an “abuse of power.” Nava swore at him too.
She was cited for loud and boisterous conduct on a train and released.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League said the sergeant was doing his job.
“It’s clear that the suspect involved needs to take a class on manners and how to properly respond to a reasonable request from a police officer,” said the union that represents rank-andfile officers. “Acting belligerently when being given the simple request to take your foot off a seat shows a complete lack of courtesy for the basic norms of society.”
Of the MTA official’s statement, the union said: “We deserve better than ... being thrown under an MTA train by the knee jerk reactions of Mr. Washington.”
The 28-page Metro Customer Code of Conduct lists all infractions on public transport vehicles, as well as their penalties. The punishment for placing feet or shoes on a vehicle includes a warning or ejection from the bus or train.
Hours after releasing his initial statement on the incident, Washington clarified his view in comments posted to Metro’s website: “We want our Customer Code of Conduct rules enforced, but I’m disappointed at the way the situation escalated,” he said.