California law enforcement officials handcuffed a man for refusing to give his name to police officers last week when they attempted to cite him for eating a sandwich at a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station in San Francisco. It was a moment that was caught on video and went viral online.
“Steve Foster of Concord tells ABC7 News this all happened Monday morning at the Pleasant Hill station when he was approached by a BART police officer,” ABC 7 reported. “Foster says the officer, wearing the name badge McCormick, walked past several other people eating and drinking on the platform and confronted him. His girlfriend caught the interaction on her cellphone.”
At the beginning of the video, the officer told Foster, “You are detained and you’re not free to go.”
“Bro, you came up here and f***ed with me, you singled me out out of all these people,” Foster responded.
“You’re eating,” the officer says.
“So, what?” Foster responded.
“It’s against the law,” the officer responded.
After the two continued to argue, and Foster did not comply with the officer, the officer told him that he was going to jail.
“Jail for eating a f***ing sandwich?” Foster asked.
“No, for resisting arrest,” the officer responded.
WATCH:
He got detained and arrest for eating a sandwich at Pleasant Hill Bart Station . @KTVU. Bart ought to be ashamed of themselves and I hope he sue tf outta them pic.twitter.com/u1CQYKZdT9
— THE REAL MEANASS 11/13 (@keilobenjamin) November 9, 2019
“I was just up there eating my sandwich waiting for the train to come,” Foster said. “I’m definitely upset, mad, a little frustrated, angry about it.”
The San Francisco Chronicle reported, “Spokespeople for BART said Friday that they had brought the video to the attention of rail system’s interim Police Chief Ed Alvarez, and that the agency’s independent police auditor is reviewing the footage. A third party had filed a complaint against the officer, identified as D. McCormick on his uniform.”
“Eating and drinking is prohibited on BART, though riders routinely do it anyway, usually with no consequence,” the Chronicle added.
BART said that Foster, while handcuffed, was not arrested and was instead cited for eating at the train station.
BART said that Foster was handcuffed because he allegedly refused to provide his name to the officer when he was being cited for the violation.
“We asked police why he was handcuffed and was told the individual was refusing to provide his name which is needed for citation and was lawfully handcuffed,” BART said.
ABC 7 added that Foster did not have plans to pursue any legal action, but said, “I hope they start focusing on stuff that actually matters like people shooting up dope, hopping the BART, people getting stabbed.”
A separate ABC 7 report noted that a group of people protested over the incident, staging an “eat-in” at the train station.
“There was a defiant lunchtime eat-in on the platform inside the Embarcardero BART station, where eating isn’t allowed,” ABC 7 reported. “About 30 people gathered for lunch to protest an incident recently captured on cellphone video at the Pleasant Hill BART Station.”
Online, left-wing activists expressed outrage that the law enforcement officer was enforcing the law that was on the books.
One notable response to the left-wing outrage came from actor Nick Searcy, who responded: “Democrats in CA have to pass ONE DAMN LAW EVERY SINGLE DAY about every SINGLE situation that might EVER happen. The cop did not make that law, Hill. DEMOCRATS LIKE YOU DID.”
Democrats in CA have to pass ONE DAMN LAW EVERY SINGLE DAY about every SINGLE situation that might EVER happen. The cop did not make that law, Hill. DEMOCRATS LIKE YOU DID.
— Nick Searcy, AUSTERE RELIGIOUS SCHOLAR AND STAR (@yesnicksearcy) November 11, 2019