Shattered Glass During BART Arrest Leads To Santa Rita Jail & Investigations
November 24, 2009A BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Police Officer, who’s name has not been released, was injured by shards of falling glass Saturday at the West Oakland BART station. The laceration injury to his head and face occured during the arrest of 37-year-old, Michael Joseph Gibson, a San Leandro man who was claimed to have been shouting at other riders – and the entire incident was caught on tape.
The video, which was uploaded to YouTube, shows the officer entering the train and grabbing Gibson. He then lead him to the opposite side of the platform. The YouTube video, which was titled to suggest the officer forced Gibson’s head into the glass, actually appeared to show Gibson throwing his right arm forward right before the glass shattered.
| BART Police Commander Daniel Hartwig, stated, “At this pont we do not know exactly why the glass broke, and that will be a part of the investigation.” |
Gibson, who’s had a history of mental problems was also injured in the arrest and taken to a hospital. He was later transported to the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on battery and resisting an officer, both of which are felonies. He was also charged with the misdemeanor of being intoxicated in public.
The arresting officer has not been involved in any prior use-of-force incidents and is currently on leave as his injuries heal.
This latest incident does not come without controversy. Just in January, another BART officer was video taped after fatally shooting passenger, Oscar Grant III who was reported to be unarmed. That incident also sparked protests after being uploaded on to YouTube.
November 24th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
This B.A.R.T. incident is not nearly as insidious as when the police officer murdered that kid a while back…. Doesn’t look like this will help the police get out of that shadow.