NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Three private security guards hired by the MTA to combat fare evasion were arrested after they attacked a 20-year-old man at the 14th Street-Union Square subway station on Wednesday afternoon, police said.
MTA and police sources told the New York Post that the confrontation began when the unarmed guards told the man he couldn't exit the station through an emergency gate.
Police said an argument ensued, and the 20-year-old began filming the guards. One of them, Shamasia Maddox, 24, allegedly slammed the cellphone out of his hand and onto the ground, causing significant phone damage.
When he tried to retrieve his phone, Maddox and her colleagues, Rawshod Caesar, 24, and Kenneth Cole, 26, punched him in the face with closed fists, causing a laceration to his lip and discomfort to his face, according to police.
The victim, who has not been identified, was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
All three guards have been charged with assault, disorderly conduct and harassment. In addition, Maddox is facing a criminal mischief charge.
In a statement, MTA spokesman John McCarthy said: “The MTA is cooperating with the NYPD in its investigation and, in the meantime, the vendor who employs the guards has assured those allegedly involved will not be assigned work at MTA facilities.”
The MTA has recently stationed private security guards, some of them armed, in at least 14 stations across the subway system.
Unarmed guards at 12 stations make sure the exit gates stay closed, unless they’re being used for emergencies or by fare-paying riders who have items like strollers, luggage or wheelchairs.
The city began treating fare evasion with new urgency, as the crime has grown even more rampant during the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to cost the MTA some $500 million in revenue in 2022 alone.
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