18 Protesters Arrested At L Train Station Where Cops Shot 4 People

BROOKLYN, NY — Eighteen people were arrested at a protest in Brownsville on Tuesday night, two days after police shot at a man who they say didn't pay the subway fare, injuring him and three others on the train platform.

More than 100 people gathered at the Sutter Avenue L train station, eventually taking over the street below and marching down Sutter Avenue from Van Sinderen Boulevard toward Rockaway Avenue, chanting and holding signs.

Of the 18 people taken into custody on Tuesday night, 17 of them were given summonses for disorderly conduct, and one person was arrested for criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, police said.

"I'm here because the cops committed a mass shooting over $2.90, and that's absolutely unconscionable," Aderinsola, a protestor, told Patch.

On Sunday night, after skipping the fare at the Sutter Avenue L train station, police officers followed Derrell Mickles, 37, up three flights of stairs until Mickles threatened police officers with a knife, saying, "I'm going to kill you if you don't stop following me," according to NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey.

Police responded with Tasers, but those were ineffective, and then the police opened fire on Mickles, hitting three others — two civilians and a police officer — in the process, police officials said.

A bystander remains in critical condition as of Tuesday evening, and the others are expected to recover, according to the NYPD. The NYPD announced yesterday that Mickles is being charged with assault and weapons charges and will have to appear in court once he is medically cleared.

The protest was organized in part by Swipe It Forward, an organization that advocates for free public transit fares, and We The People NYC, a mutual aid group.

Some protestors spoke directly to the police, who were stationed all around the protest and the subway station.

"I'm not promoting no violence," protestor Johnny X said into a megaphone. "We are all human. I just want to ask these officers here how that makes y'all feel."

The NYPD did not comment on the protest, but NYPD Community Affairs Officer James Luzzo was at the protest and offered one statement.

"We're just here to make sure people are being safe,” he said.