By: Alysa Wilson

Video showing a Black man being tased on a New York City subway has sparked outrage as people call it another case of police brutality.  

According to The New York Times, a video of the incident went viral on social media this week after a bystander filmed it. After being posted to Twitter, it was liked more than 22,000 times and retweeted more than 8,000 times.  

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ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

A gang of @NYPDnews officers swarmed onto a train, jumped on and tased a young Black Man. They accused him of fare evasion and many witnesses on the train, tried to explain to the cops that he did pay his fare. pic.twitter.com/2DPXwPFwVR

— Anthony Beckford (@Vote4Beckford) July 14, 2021

The New York City Police Department responded by releasing body camera video on Twitter with information about the interaction. According to the department, the incident happened on July 6 inside the 116 Street subway station. Officers from the 28th Precinct stopped a Black man who they say opened an exit gate for someone to get into the subway without paying.  

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 man was identified as 29-year-old David Crowell. Police said Crowell paid his own fare to get onto the subway, but helped another rider avoid paying. After that, multiple officers confronted him on a subway car, surrounded him and tased him.  

RELATED: Two Atlanta Students Filed Charges Against the Police for Excessive Force  

Police released the body camera video in an effort to show Crowell taunting officers, but critics say the bystander video raises questions about police response to fare evasion and low-level offenses. Many are questioning the possibility of increasing the presence of police on the subway without increasing the chances and instances of police violence.  

Crowell was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and menacing and second-degree harassment. None of the charges he faces involve fare evasion. Crowell’s lawyer Bethany Bonsu called the charges “absurd” and said his client paid the fare of the man he let through, which was his cousin.  

“I know a lot of people are looking at this situation like, ‘Oh, my God, it’s police brutality,’ but this is probably my 15th time being violated by the police and this is my first time getting some light put on the situation,” Crowell said, noting that when he threatened a police officer, it was when the officer was already holding the taser.  

Patrick J. Lynch, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, defended the actions of the officers involved in the incident saying, “This kind of lawless behavior— and worse — is exactly what brought those police officers to that subway platform. New Yorkers expect and deserve a safe and orderly transit system.”  

If you or someone you know is struggling with trauma triggered by this story, resources are available here.