Questions are being asked about the way Metro Transit Police forced a woman off a train Monday morning at the Smithsonian Station after the incident was caught on video.
In the video, two Metro Transit Police officers are seen talking to the woman who is cursing at the officers, and telling them not to touch her or her belongings.
The two officers then grab her and force her off the train where she falls down on the platform.
It happened about 9 a.m. Monday morning.
Gunar Frazier shot the video with his phone.
“Could have been handled differently, but … that job’s really tough, right?” he said.
Metro said the woman, whose name has not yet been released, threatened a Metro special police officer, was being disorderly and was acting in an erratic manner.
Metro also said, “Based on our preliminary investigation, all actions taken by Authority staff and contractors were in compliance with policies governing their duties and responsibilities.”
Frazier, the Metro rider who took the video, said that “while her actions, in my opinion, probably warranted police action,” he could not tell whether the officers knocked her down to the platform or whether she tripped. Frazier said, however, he thinks “the force used to detain her was a bit excessive.”
The woman was arrested for disorderly conduct.
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