Newsman: MTA Guard shot a man who was following him and his partner to a Brooklyn subway station. Police say a man was following and harassing an MTA fares collection agent and his armed guard, when a dispute ensued.
The situation spilled onto the R train and both men exited the train at Union Street. The MTA worker attempted to avoid the man there, but he was still being followed, police said.
Officials say the guard grabbed his gun and warned the harasser while the individuals were on the mezzanine. The man tried to grab the gun and the guard fired.
The harasser ,39-year-old was taken to Methodist Hospital in critical condition. Police say he has numerous prior arrests, but they do not have evidence that he was armed.
“We have about 274 armed collection agents whose job is to accompany the individuals who fix our fare vending machines. Our 1000 plus fare vending machines across the system. They’re there to provide security when they’re inside the machine which has cash and other potential uses for fares,” NYC Transit President Richard Davey said.
Wednesday morning, police were reviewing surveillance cameras to get a closer look at the shooting on the mezzanine around 9 p.m. Tuesday. The guard who shot the harasser is a 21-year veteran of the MTA, officials said.
