TWU calls for more police after gate agent brutally attacked by 2 women in Brooklyn
BROOKLYN (WABC) -- The Transport Workers Union is rallying behind one of its members after they were attacked inside a subway station in Brooklyn last Saturday.
Police say two female suspects attacked 51-year-old on-duty MTA employee Marshalee Reid inside the New Lots No. 3 train station mezzanine.
In the moments leading up to the attack, police say one of the suspects jumped over the turnstile without paying the fare.
The MTA employee then opened the mezzanine door and asked the suspect to pay the fare. As she held open the door, another suspect attempted to pass through the door without paying the fare.
Officials say the two suspects then approached the worker and began to punch her multiple times on the face and the body. One of the suspects then hit the 51-year-old with a set of keys multiple times, causing minor lacerations.
Both of the suspects then fled on foot, in an unknown direction.
The victim was taken to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center in stable condition. She suffered facial lacerations and a swollen hand.
"This here is just a senseless crime," said Robert Kelly, TWU Local 100. "This is merely a station agent doing their job, performing customer service, when she was attacked, unprovoked."
Afraid to leave her house, Reid spoke with Eyewitness News over video call, saying two women assaulted her and left her with blood dripping down her face.
"The girl was punching me in my face with the keys she had and she also had a pocket knife," Reid said.
Security camera footage showed the two women walking with a child up to the platform at the New Lotts Avenue station at Ashford Street last saturday afternoon.
Reid had just helped someone with the fare machine and was opening the emergency gate for an elderly rider with an oxygen tank.
That's when her union says one of the suspects jumped the turnstile.
"Not only jumped the turnstile but then the other person came in and jumped on her because she refused to give them a free ride. Just merely doing her job," Kelly said.
Transit crime is down 3 percent citywide this year.
But in Brooklyn's 75th precinct area, where Reid works, its up a staggering 71.4 percent.
"At the time of this assault, there was no police to be found. Mezzanine, platform, nowhere in sight. I can tell you today every one of our members is pissed off about this," Kelly said.
Transit union leaders blasted the cit,y calling on the MTA chairman and the mayor to surge both MTA police and NYPD transit cops into high-crime stations.
"How are you going to get people to take these jobs? Who would you recommend for a job like this if every day you can be punched in the face?" TWU local 100 PresidentJohn Chiarello said.
They also want the city's district attorneys to vigorously prosecute these crimes.
When asked about the assault, the Mayor said he wants as many police as possible in the system, but that this also comes down to undoing a decriminalization of fare evasion.
"Matter of fact one person said - nobody pays. So when we enforce the laws we're preventing chaos and disorder and we need our lawmakers to be partners with us because every day people are being impacted," Adams said.
As for the suspects, police say they are looking for a woman, approximately 25 to 30 years of age, with short black hair, last seen wearing a black t-shirt, multi-colored shorts and white shoes.
The other female suspect is described as a woman, approximately 25 to 30 years of age, with short orange hair, last seen wearing a pink shirt, blue jeans and black sandals.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, on X @NYPDTips.
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