Private guards hired by MTA arrested for NYC subway beatdown
New York City NY December 30th, 2022
They’re supposed to be combating crime, not committing it.
Three unarmed private security guards contracted by the MTA to prevent farebeating and keep the subways safe were arrested after allegedly beating a 20-year-old straphanger at the 14th Street-Union Square subway station on Wednesday, police said.
The guards — employees of a firm launched by a top aide to Mayor Eric Adams — got into the tussle after they told the Long Island man he could not exit the station through an emergency gate, according to MTA and NYPD sources.
The straphanger started to film the guards, and one of them — identified as Shamasia Maddox, 26 — slapped the phone out of his hands and onto the ground, the sources said.
Her two male counterparts — Kenneth Cole, 27, and Rawshod Caesar, 24 — then surrounded the man and beat him, cops told The Post.
The victim suffered lacerations to his face during the incident, which was captured on video by MTA surveillance cameras, police sources said.
Police immediately apprehended two of the guards and charged them with harassment, assault and disorderly conduct, sources said.
The third, Maddox, fled but was arrested and charged with assault, disorderly conduct, harassment and criminal mischief on Thursday, according to an NYPD spokesperson.
MTA officials have used unarmed security contractors to patrol subway emergency gates since the summer, and are expanding the effort to more stations.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, straphangers are more likely to be victims of felony crime, while homicides underground have skyrocketed, according to NYPD statistics.
Officials claim the guards serve not only to prevent riders from using open gates to evade the fare, but also to stop criminals from entering the subway altogether.
“Overwhelmingly, the criminals are fare evaders, so if we do a decent job of discouraging fare evasion and stopping people who are engaged in it, we’re going to catch a lot of criminals,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber said in October.
All three alleged assailants were given desk appearance tickets and are due in court on Jan. 17.
The Post’s attempted to contact Cole, Caesar, Maddox or their employer, City Safe Partners, for comment Thursday were not successful.
Neither will be working in MTA subway stations going forward, an authority spokesman said in a statement.
“The MTA is cooperating with the NYPD in its investigation and, in the meantime, the vendor who employs the guards has assured those allegedly involved will not be assigned work at MTA facilities,” said MTA chief of external relations John McCarthy.
NY Post
