Park Slope Fare Evasion Arrest Was An 'Abuse Of Power': Council Member

PARK SLOPE, NY — A turnstile skipper's arrest caught on video in Park Slope sparked outrage Thursday as one City Council Member called the arrest an "abuse of power."

The 17-second video shows police swinging around a man and pinning him against a wall in the Seventh Avenue station Thursday afternoon — an arrest prompted by fare evasion, according to a witness' account on Twitter.

"NYPD kicking off 2024 strong by brutally arresting someone for not paying a $2.90 MTA fare at the 7th Ave. F/G station in Brooklyn," the witness wrote.

The video quickly gained traction, prompting Council Member Shahana Hanif to contact the department.

"This sort of violent broken windows policing does nothing to keep us safe. Assaulting someone for skipping a turnstile is an abuse of power by the NYPD," Hanif said in a Tweet.

But a top NYPD cop stood by the officers' conduct.

"Great job by our officers," NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said in a tweet responding to Hanif.

"Of course the video doesn’t show the individual jumping the turnstile right in front of the officers and refusing multiple requests for identification. This type of lawlessness is exactly what New Yorkers are tired of in our transit system."

Police confirmed there was an arrest in the Seventh Avenue station Thursday about 3:20 p.m. over fare evasion, but it was not immediately clear if police were referring to the arrest caught on video.

Cops stopped a 21-year-old at the Park Slope station who was shimmying through a turnstile to avoid paying his fare, according to the NYPD. An officer asked the young man why he didn't pay, and the man responded that his card wasn't accepted, police said.

He refused to provide his ID upon request, refused to put his hands behind his back, started flailing his arms, yelling and cursing and grabbed the cop's handcuffs, police said.

At one point in the arrest, a police officer fell to the ground, police said.

During a search of the fare evader, officers found a switchblade in the man's pocket — and the man left the encounter with charges including resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and criminal possession of a weapon, police said.

City Council Member Vickie Paladino also defended the cops actions on Twitter.

"Good job NYPD! Keep it up," Paladino said.

Others, like Council Member Sandy Nurse, felt differently.

"Tax the rich. Make public transit free," Nurse said.