An NYPD officer is facing assault charges after authorities said he attacked a subway conductor aboard a crowded J train in Wednesday, sparking off an investigation that caused chaos in a Manhattan subway station and extensive delays.
Tremel Davis, 33, was arrested in the attack on a train pulling out of the Essex Street-Delancey Street station at about 9:15 a.m., according to the NYPD.
The Transit Workers Union, which represents the conductor, said that she was attempting to cross between subway cars when she ran into Davis, who was leaning against the door between cars.
The union said Davis allegedly told her "you could have said excuse me," and the conductor replied that he isn't supposed to lean on the doors. According to the union, the man then cursed at the woman.
As the train approached the statino, she tried to cross back and was again met by Davis, the union said. This time, he forced her backward into her cab and she banged her arm against the wall.
The union said that after the altercation, another straphanger tried to help the conductor and Davis identified himself as a police officer.
The conductor was taken to a hospital and had complained about pain to her arm. She was released later Wednesday.
The union said in a statement that "transit workers risk being attacked and abused every day."
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It's not clear if Davis suffered any injuries. His arrest was announced later on Wednesday afternoon.
Attorney information for the man wasn't immediately available. NBC 4 New York has reached out to the NYPD's rank-and-file union for comment on the case.
The attack caused substantial delays on the J and M lines as police set up a crime scene. Someone pulled the emergency brake on the train around the time of the attack, contributing to the chaos. There were some reports of people getting off the stalled J train and moving down the tracks.
Trains started moving normally again at about 10 a.m.
Videos posted to social media networks by straphangers on a J train at the station showed hundreds of confused commuters standing on the platform and asking one anther what had happened.
One video posted to Twitter showed what appeared to be a broken window inside one of the cars with the caption, "Someone yelled run and all hell broke loose."
The FDNY said that two people were taken to Beth Israel Hospital with minor injuries.
