Chaos Erupts After Cop Pepper Sprays Metro Rider In DC (Video)

WASHINGTON, DC — A confrontation between a Metro Transit Police officer and a rider on the Red Line in D.C. escalated when the officer used pepper spray on her, video shows (embedded below).

The video, which was posted on Twitter, starts with the officer holding onto a seated woman's arm while she screams, "stop touching me!" It's not clear what led up to the confrontation.

She then stands up while yelling and tries to pull away from the officer, and the officer pulls out what appears to be a pepper spray canister and sprays her briefly with it, saying "OC utilized" into his radio (OC is a police term for pepper spray). The woman can be heard screaming out of the picture while the officer then walks off the train.

Things got out of hand on the Red Line yesterday. pic.twitter.com/H64Pp1WVZB
— DC Maryland Virginia (@DMVFollowers) September 18, 2019

His actions sparked some debate on Twitter, with some arguing that she may have deserved it while others argued that she wasn't a threat and using pepper spray on a train risks hitting other people.

The Washington Post reports that Metro is reviewing the officer's use of pepper spray during the incident, and the altercation happened at the NoMa-Gallaudet station. The Post reports that she was asked multiple times to leave the train, although it's not clear for what reason.