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Video: How Many Cops Does It Take To Handcuff One Man In The Subway?
By
John Del Signore
Published May 15, 2013
Modified May 15, 2013
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 15, 2013
Modified May 15, 2013
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Here's a vivid reminder of how difficult it can be to escape the police once they want you in their custody (well, most of the time). Sure, you may be able to put up some resistance against the first two cops trying to slap the cuffs on you, but it's important to remember that they have an entire force behind them. Unless you're Neo, you're only making it harder on yourself by resisting. This video, taken at the 135th Street station of the B/C line on the afternoon of May 13th, shows what you're up against:
If you watch all the way to the end of the video—after the endless chorus line of cops flood the station and they force all witnesses to leave—one witness is heard insisting that the man did nothing to provoke his arrest. "He standing there... and they just started arresting him and shit," says the witness. Another says, "They took him down for no reason, no reason at all. There's like 50 of them taking him down."
According to the NYPD press office, the man is 31-year-old Washington Heights resident Clive Utter, who was stopped by police after jumping the turnstile. The NYPD says he was charged with resisting arrest, criminal trespass, theft of service, and criminal possession of controlled substance. (We're told the substance is allegedly methamphetamine.)
The individual who uploaded the video did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but we'll update if we get more details. For now, just remember that Resistance is Futile.
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harlem
MTA
nypd
subway
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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