The troubles of the San Francisco Bay area's transit police went viral again as video hit the Internet showing what some claim was another use of excessive force.A cell phone video showing the violent arrest of a mentally ill passenger accused of being disruptive on a commuter train came less than a year after footage of an officer fatally shooting an unarmed man incited riots in the region.
The latest video shows an unidentified officer pulling Michael Gibson, 37, of San Leandro from a train stopped at the West Oakland station. The officer pushes Gibson toward a concrete wall with thick glass windows, causing the glass to shatter and rain onto both men.
The officer is on paid leave after sustaining a concussion and cuts that required stitches. Gibson suffered minor cuts and is in custody on suspicion of battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
Police said Gibson had been arrested earlier in the day outside a mall for investigation of kicking an 82-year-old man on a bus. Gibson was given a misdemeanor citation for assault and battery and later released, Daly City police Sgt. David Mackriss said.
Gibson was arrested again Saturday night after BART police say they received complaints that he had been yelling racial slurs and challenging other train passengers to fight.
Lisa Gibson said her younger brother has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and didn't need to be handled so aggressively by the officer. "He was snatched up and thrown into that thick glass window," she said Monday. "There's no way that officer was just trying to put him in handcuffs."
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