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Laura Yuen

NAACP wants investigation into Metro Transit incident

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Updated: 10:30 a.m. July 14 | Posted: 4:55 p.m. July 13

The Minneapolis NAACP has denounced the actions of a Metro Transit Police officer who slammed to the ground a young African-American man who rode a light-rail train without paying.

Chief John Harrington said his preliminary look at the case shows the officer's actions were warranted because the man physically backed into the officer and made statements suggesting he would continue to evade the rules.

"At the point you tell the officer that you're not only not going [to] pay the fare, but you're not going to pay the ticket, the court procedures say the person should then be brought into custody because they're showing they're not going to follow the process," he said.

NAACP representatives say the incident highlights concerns raised about disparate treatment by police toward African-Americans in Minneapolis.

NAACP member Jason Sole, a criminal justice professor at Metro State University and Hamline University, said the officer's actions were not proportionate to the crime.

"I just believe we can handle these situations a little bit better," Sole said. "There are some good people in law enforcement, but there are people who are overacting to situations. A ticket for $1.75 shouldn't lead to that kind of action. It shouldn't even be that contentious."

Harrington said that despite the NAACP's requests for an independent investigation, he sees no reason to call for one at this time. The department is reviewing the incident to determine whether the use of force was excessive. He said the subject of the arrest, Draon Armstrong, could file an internal affairs complaint if he believes he was mistreated.

It's hard to say what prompted the officer's takedown. A cell phone video of the incident taken by Armstrong's sister and broadcast by Fox 9 doesn't appear to show Armstrong making any moves in the moments before he was taken to the ground.

Earlier this spring, an audit by the Metropolitan Council showed that Metro Transit was losing tens of thousands of dollars a week because of light-rail passengers who were riding for free.