After Harlem Cops Tase Man In Subway, NYPD Defends Tactics

HARLEM, NY — The NYPD is denying accusations of brutality and defending the actions of officers who tased a man in a Harlem subway station last week after he was accused of helping another passenger skip their fare.

The incident unfolded after 6 p.m. on July 6 inside the 2-3 station at 116th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard.

Police said the man, 29-year-old David Crowell, had held open an exit gate, allowing another man to enter the station without paying his fare. When approached by officers, the second man apologized and paid his fare, but Crowell allegedly threatened police and held up his fists, NBC reported.

Minutes later, officers followed Crowell onto a 2 train. Video posted to Twitter shows police following him from one car to the next and trying to detain him as he yells, "I paid."

Amid shouts from bystanders, police hold Crowell in place as another officer shocks him in the back with a taser, causing him to crumple to the ground. One officer, Ronnie Caraccioli, later told prosecutors that Crowell was tased because he "stiffened his body and flailed his arms, making it difficult to place him in handcuffs."

Body-worn camera footage shows the man cursing at officers, refusing to exit the train, & threatening them. With additional officers on scene, the man continued to resist arrest, prompting the use of a taser. He was subsequently taken into custody. (2/2) @NYPDTransit @NYCTSubway pic.twitter.com/etjeTp9kKY
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 15, 2021

The footage circulated widely on Wednesday when it was shared by Anthony Beckford, a recent candidate for City Council in Brooklyn.

Hours later, the NYPD responded by posting body camera footage recorded moments before the tasing, which shows Crowell taunting officers and saying "F**k the police."

"Body-worn camera footage shows the man cursing at officers, refusing to exit the train, & threatening them," the NYPD wrote. "With additional officers on scene, the man continued to resist arrest, prompting the use of a taser. He was subsequently taken into custody."

Critics were unmoved. Beckford tweeted that "Taunting is not a crime," while others questioned why so many officers had been deployed to respond to fare evasion — a low-level charge that the NYPD has been accused of enforcing mostly against people of color.

Crowell faces charges of menacing, harassment, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration, according to the Manhattan DA's office. He was released from custody the day after the incident and is due in court in August.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday he was "concerned" by the incident, saying he had been briefed about it and planned to watch the footage later in the day.

He defended the officers, saying Crowell had been "very aggressive and in some ways even threatening towards police" and arguing that fare evasion is "not acceptable, whether you do it yourself or help someone else."

Still, the mayor noted, officers are trained to de-escalate in order to avoid violent outcomes.

"Clearly, here, we did not end up with a de-escalated situation," he said. "So this needs to be looked at carefully to see what can be done differently going forward."