An unsanctioned poster on the New York City subway is warning riders that fare evasion could result in death.
The poster reads, "Skip the fare? Expect the death penalty." It also states, "On September 15th, the NYPD shot four people over the $2.90 fare." The poster was shared on an Instagram account called NYC Tribe.
MTA Spokesperson Kayla Shults told Newsweek that the poster was not authorized by the agency.
"That poster is unauthorized, unacceptable and an afront to the millions of New Yorkers who have to pay for removing it, cleaning up the mess, and repairing vandalized trains," Shults said.
The poster references a shooting that happened on September 15. The incident began when Derrell Mickles, 37, jumped a subway turnstile in Brooklyn in front of two transit patrol officers. Officials said Mickles was armed with a knife and was asked to leave the subway station.
Mickles left through the turnstile, then tried to re-enter through the emergency gate. The two officers chased Mickles onto the subway platform.
Body camera footage of the incident shows Mickles getting onto a subway car.
As the officers corner Mickles, he charges, then stops. The video shows the officers discharging their weapons multiple times in Mickles' direction. Two bystanders and an officer were also struck by gunfire. All four were injured, but there were no fatalities.
Mickles was arrested on multiple charges, including aggravated assault on a police officer with a deadly weapon. He was arraigned from his hospital bed and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The NYPD said the shooting was not caused by fare evasion.
"This incident was not about fare evasion," NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said to reporters at a news conference following the incident. "This incident was about a person in mental stress armed with a deadly weapon and protecting our cops and citizens on that train."
New York City Mayor Eric Adams defended the officers' response at a press conference.
"He was not shot for fare evasion. He was shot because he had a knife and he went after the police officers," Adams said.
However, the incident drew backlash from the public and sparked protests in the city.
The MTA said it lost $285 million in subway fares due to fare evasion in 2022.
"Fares and tolls account for a significant proportion of the MTA's annual budget revenue — almost $7 billion a year. But every dollar lost to evasion impairs the MTA's financial stability, threatens reliable transit for all New Yorkers, and increases the need for alternative revenue sources, including through larger fare and toll hikes," the agency said in an August report.
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