Woman Handcuffed And Arrested For Eating Candy In A D.C. Metro Station

[matcom]

<snip>

WASHINGTON -- You can't eat and ride in the nation's capital.

A Maryland woman said a transit officer in Washington, D.C., handcuffed and held her for three hours after she finished a candy bar at a Metro station.

Stephanie Willett told The Washington Post she was heading into a station while eating a PayDay bar when a transit officer told her to finish it before entering.

They both agree that she put the last bit in her mouth -- but she says the officer followed her inside the station. After she made a comment, Willett said the officer searched, handcuffed and arrested her.

Willett was released several hours later after paying a $10 fine. A Metro spokeswoman said the woman was arrested for ignoring a warning.

http://www.wftv.com/news/3591089/detail.html

[MildyCC]

1. Repeat after me..

NEVER talk back to a woman law enforcement officer in DC...NEVER. It's asking for trouble.

[GOPisEvil]

2. OK - that's just excessive.

There is no need to cuff and arrest someone. That cop needs to let it go and not use her power to make a point.

[MildyCC]

3. You are correct, but I'm tellin' ya

those DC cops (especially the metro ones), don't like you even LOOKING at them.

[BiggJawn]

4. They're pissed because they get no Play...

"You're just a COP, I want to make it with someone who works for 'somebody'..."

[MildyCC]

5. That must be it

I avoid the women ones...those ladies mean business. They have attitude to burn. The only thing they hear from me is "Yes, Ma'am...no ma'am."

[BiggJawn]

6. I visited DC last fall...Interesting place.

I was staying near DuPont Circle, across from the Aussie Embassy.Pretty neighbourhood, but strange dynamics.

During the day, it's all movers and shakers and people who work for the various lobbying oranizations who have offices there, and after dark, the homeless move in and stake-out their bench for the night.
Oh, and tourists down on the Mall.

I avoid contact with cops like the Plague, so I didn't have to act differently.

[MildyCC]

7. Don't EVEN get me started about the tourists

OR the drivers here. We have, without a doubt, the worst drivers in the country (except for those incompetents in Rhode Island). :-)

[BiggJawn]

18. No, WE have the worst drivers in the world.

Soccer moms who forget they're traveling at 50 while they yak on their cellies, and old people puttering at 15 coming into town in their chicken-shit spattered "K"-cars from the farm to visit their money...

[Bertha Venation]

9. I've no great love for the attitude of some DC cops.

That's not a good enough reason for me to loathe them all.

JMHO.

I completely agree w/ you about DC having the worst drivers. I'm from Southern California, where we're reported to have the worst traffic. Anyone who really believes that has never lived and commuted in both places.

[arwalden]

17. It Saves Time And Eliminates The Risk.

Some bees don't sting... but they look like the ones that do. So... I just stay away from and avoid ALL bees.

-- Allen

[Bertha Venation]

8. To arrest is going too far. BUT:

The Metro police have to get tough on people who eat & drink in the stations & on the trains. Why? Because the stations & trains are unpleasant enough when they're clean. That's just one reason.

A couple of years ago a minor was arrested for eating french fries in the station. That, too, was going too far. I appreciate not the action (reprehensible -- ticket the kid & send her on her way!) but the willingness of that Metro cop not to look the other way.

[MildyCC]

10. I have no problem with

the metro police ticketing people for eating and drinking on the trains and stations...they don't need to handcuff them. You know as well as I do they like to use that "power" thing over people.

And I think the DC metro is actually VERY pleasant. It's much cleaner and neater than thosee in Paris, London, Berlin, and New York.

[Bertha Venation]

12. "they don't need to handcuff them" -- yes. that was my point.

"You know as well as I do they like to use that "power" thing over people." No. I don't know that. But no matter.

I've never been in any transit trains other than L.A. and DC. L.A.'s are cleaner, but that's probably there are so few lines, and because so few people use them. But I'm glad DC's are so clean. But pleasant? Probably a matter of opinion. :shrug:

Welcome to DU, BTW. :hi:

[MildyCC]

13. Thank you!

You don't think this "handcuffing" was a power thing? I sure do.

Metro has many problems, but the trains and staions are pleasant. Clean and air conditioned...what more can you ask for?

[Bertha Venation]

15. Sure, probably, in this case, handcuffing a metro rider was a power thing.

I took your comment as a more general statement of DC Metro cops -- guess I shouldn't have.

I confess: I think my problem with Metro stations is that I have severe motion sickness. Just thinking of a train makes me nauseous. :)

[MildyCC]

16. You know....I get motion sick

on them too! That's why I drive in now. And the busses are 10 times worse!

[hyphenate]

11. In Boston

They sell food IN the subway stations. Dunkin Donuts is in quite a few, and lots of newsstands with all kinds of snack and junk food. And yet. for the most part, they manage to keep the stations relatively clean. And to top it off, Boston's stations are a heckuva lot older than the ones in D.C.

[MildyCC]

14. I forgot about Boston.

Yeah, not too bad there, but DC's trains and stations are much cleaner.