Alexander Rakitin told the New York Post He has been commuting by subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan for about 30 years, and has noticed an increase in risk factors in recent years.
“I think everyone on the subway is scared and nervous,” Rakitin, whose father works in finance, told the Post. “There's always some level of tension. You look around and you see angry, angry people. People not following the rules, anti-social behavior, criminal behavior, aggression.”
“Everyone who rides the subway in the morning knows they are going somewhere dangerous. That is the reality we live in.”
Rakitin took it all up a notch earlier this week in a dangerous encounter filmed on her cell phone. video.
Just after 8:30 a.m. Monday, Rakitin was riding the N train when another passenger became upset. WABC TV reported.
The paper said Rakitin, 42, accidentally nudged Timothy Barbee, 34, in the knee.
“Even though we weren't sitting next to each other, he was obviously aggressive because I was too close to him,” Rakitin told the station. “He just felt it was his personal space and was very aggressive. I told him to just relax. Well, just relax. It's 8:30. Just go to work. No one needs this. Just relax.'' Then he escalated further. ”
The video shows the two jawing at each other in apparent abuse as Barbie tells Rakitin to “chill” and repeatedly orders him to “shut up.” Rakitin tells Barbie, “You started it,” and the two look at each other.
With that, Barbie tells Rakitin, “I don't have time to go to jail today'' and “stop staring at me,'' and then slaps Rakitin in the face, causing Rakitin's glasses to fly off his head.
Rakitin told WABC he has had previous encounters on the subway, but this was the first time it escalated into physical violence.
But Rakitin said he fought back.
“I got on top of him and just grabbed him,” he told police. “And I was thinking, 'He's so much bigger than me, so don't let him go.' I didn't know what he was thinking, so I just held him until the police came.”
Rakitin added to WABC that Barbie started asking for help. Additionally, Rakitin told the Post that Barbie and the other passengers actually started telling Ratikin to let Barbie go.
“The only way I can explain it to myself is that the people who witnessed how it started just ran away,” Rakitin told the paper. “Most people just ran into another vehicle, and those who didn't see it start only paid attention when I tackled him to the ground.”
Barbie was arrested after the train pulled into the next stop, the newspaper reported. He was charged with third-degree assault. WABC reported that Rakitin was not seriously injured.
Barbee declined to comment on the case after Tuesday's arraignment, the Post reported.
“Everyone who takes the subway in the morning knows that they are going to a dangerous place,” Rakitin told WABC. “That's the reality we live in.”
You can watch WABC's video report here About that incident. of the post video It shows an altercation, a slap, and Barbie being handcuffed and taken off a train.
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