Screengrab via Twitter
The Philadelphia Police Department said the incident is under investigation.
A viral video has surfaced of a man being forcibly removed from a SEPTA bus in Philadelphia for not wearing a mask.
The video, shared on Twitter by the Philly Transit Riders Union account, appears to show four police officers pulling the man off the bus as several other officers stand by. The man and the cops then have a brief confrontation before he walks away and the video ends. Accordinng to Whyy.org, the man was not arrested or ticketed.
do riders know that they might be pulled off a SEPTA bus by 10 cops for not having a mask? pic.twitter.com/NnHXJC02E8
— Philly Transit Riders Union (@phillyTRU) April 10, 2020
The Riders Union also shared another video before the one in question, in which a man can be seen telling people who don’t have masks to get off the bus.
“If you do not have a mask you cannot ride public transportation,” the man says in the clip.
throwing off riders for not having masks. Are masks a requirement for riders? this dude’s not wearing one pic.twitter.com/2IXtnI5dkO
— Philly Transit Riders Union (@phillyTRU) April 10, 2020
Elsewhere in the video, the man can be seen instructing someone to get off the bus even though his face is covered.
Police are enforcing a mandate that requires people to wear face coverings while on public transit. SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch told WHYY that covering includes “a shirt, bandana or anything else someone can grab at home before they head out.”
“At a minimum, these masks and facial coverings could help keep the person wearing them from spreading germs, and if everyone wears them, we would have a great deal of added protection,” Busch said.
The SEPTA website also calls for riders to wear a mask or other facial covering when using public transportation.
H/T: WHYY.org
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