The two NYPD officers responsible for the escape of a prisoner that led to a subway shutdown during rush hour in lower Manhattan were suspended Friday, police said.
Police Commissioner William Bratton offered no sympathy for the two officers on Friday.
“We cannot tolerate this. They failed to keep that prisoner in custody,” said Bratton, who spoke to reporters after a promotion ceremony at NYPD headquarters. Bratton said this is the sixth time since June that a prisoner has escaped from police custody.
“It’s not a training issue. This is a matter of not paying attention. What we have here is neglect of duty,” Bratton said. The escape forced the shutdown of the 1 train in TriBeCa during Thursday evening’s rush hour commute, he said.
Bratton said the incident is being investigated and that it will affect the careers of the two officers, who were suspended for 30 days.
The prisoner Barry Tune, 20, escaped when he faked being sick, said Chief of Department James P. O’Neill. The officers got out of their patrol car and after they opened the back door, the prisoner “bolted” into a nearby train station located next to the First Precinct in TriBeCa. O’Neill said the prisoner was able to wiggle out of his handcuffs.
Tune was later arrested in Brooklyn, police said.
Security guards caught Tune stealing two pairs of jeans and a jacket at a Gap store on Broadway, police said.
