An MTA worker was arrested Tuesday after he refused to open a gate for an NYPD lieutenant chasing a shoplifter, police said.
Darryl Goodwin, 54, was working in the booth at the Columbus Circle subway station at 57th Street and Eighth Avenue when a shoplifter jumped the turnstile at about 8:30 p.m., police said. An NYPD lieutenant had chased the shoplifter from a nearby CVS where the theft occurred.
The lieutenant asked Goodwin to open the gate for him, but Goodwin refused, according to the criminal complaint. After the third time the lieutenant asked, Goodwin “grimaced” at him and “slowly” pushed the button to open the gate, the complaint said. But by the time the lieutenant got through, the shoplifter had gotten away.
A second officer responded to the scene, and Goodwin initially refused to let him in as well, the complaint said.
The lieutenant returned to the booth and asked Goodwin to show him his badge, police said. He initially refused, but then shoved it in the lieutenant’s face, they said. The lieutenant tried to push it away, but Goodwin grabbed it from him, injuring the officer’s thumb, according to police and the complaint.
Goodwin was charged with obstructing governmental administration, assault and resisting arrest, the District Attorney’s office said. He was arraigned and released without bail on Wednesday, the office said.
The MTA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
