Video shows US transit policeman push black man with baby
A security video has emerged showing a Philadelphia transit officer shoving an African American father, who was holding a toddler, against the wall and grabbing him by the throat over whether he paid a metro fare of $2.25.
The footage shows a number of police officers grabbing Ellis Smith as he clutched his daughter near a subway platform wall on Thursday.
The video was posted to Facebook by the mother of another passenger who said the man was being harassed for not paying his toddler’s fare, while children under 4 ride for free.
The officer, whose name has not been released, was speaking with Smith more than five minutes, the video shows.
At one point, he tried to pull Smith from his seat. He grabbed the man by the neck and threw him into the train's wall, the footage shows.
Transit police chief Thomas Nestel said, "If a 16-year officer thinks they can't step away from a situation that's spiraling into something that might jeopardize the safety of a child, that's on me. I never want a child's safety to be jeopardized."
"We don’t teach people to grab persons by the throat," Nestel said.
He went on to say that there is no transit video of the man trying to jump the turnstile or evade the fare as the north Philadelphia station where he entered that is currently under construction.
The officer involved said later that he grabbed the man because he feared he would be disciplined if he walked away.
The officer was off on Friday and an internal investigation has begun.
US police force has been under harsh criticism for being brutal against African Americans after several videos emerged showing white police officers fatally shooting black people.
AT/GJH
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