A white woman carrying a luxury French handbag threw a tantrum at two New York City police officers who asked for ID on a subway station platform, leading to her detainment after she got loud and refused to hand over an e-cigarette she was vaping illegally.
The 46-second viral video clip posted June 19 to a Reddit community called Public Freakout, captures the tense moments when officers confronted the abrasive woman after she allegedly jumped the turnstiles to wait for the next train, then started puffing a vape on the station platform, which violates New York City subway policy, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s rules of conduct.
One person on Reddit pointed out that the woman was carrying a $2,000 handcrafted bag by Goyard, a luxury couture brand of products made exclusively in Paris.
NYPD has not yet confirmed any charges against the unidentified woman or disclosed whether she evaded paying the fare.
The social media video begins with the unhinged argument already in progress, but the circumstances that led to the encounter were not filmed, leaving more questions than answers about the woman’s alleged offenses.
An Asian officer is faced off with the female subject, explaining the law she just broke, though it’s unclear what either side is saying due to the noise of a passing train in the background.
The officer can be seen gesturing emphatically with his arms and shaking his head as he addresses the woman, his body language urging her to stay calm.
Then, as the last of the train sped out of the station, the clattering metal on the tracks faded, and the woman’s voice became clear as she impatiently told the officer that she “doesn’t have ID.”
However, the officer remains resolute and insists she hand over her ID, causing the woman to become agitated.
At this point her voice begins elevating, and she can be heard telling the officer, “I’m using it, I don’t have ID on me,” suggesting the officer had asked her to hand over the vape he saw her using moments earlier.
From there, the woman goes full-Karen and explodes at the officer, shouting and cussing directly in his face.
“What the f—k do you want me to do?” she yells. “I don’t have ID, you f—king b—ch!” she shouts again, pointing in the officer’s face from less than 2 feet away, clearly in a frenzy.
That’s when the officer extends his hand to push the woman away from him as they are standing almost nose to nose.
The woman growled as she jolted backward, and she appeared ready to slap the officer’s hand away, but she thought better of it, stopping short of striking him.
“Don’t f—king push me back!” she continues screaming at the cop, but he never makes a move to arrest her, even though her temper is escalating to a more threatening level.
The woman became more emboldened as the officer, instead of placing her under arrest, seemed to be handling the situation with kid gloves.
“I don’t give a f—ck!” the woman shrieked at the top of her voice.
The officer allowed the hysterics to continue as he gently pleaded for the woman to cooperate.
In fact, the officer is speaking so soft and politely on the video that nothing he says can be heard.
From there, the encounter turns ugly, and the woman devolves into an all-out fit of rage, stomping her feet down hard on the floor several times and raising her fists aggressively in the air, all while the officer stands by.
Feeling like she had gained the upper hand, the woman nastily calls the officer a “b—tch ass” — but he ignores the insult and maintains his composure.
At this point, the woman tries to dismiss the officer as milquetoast, mockingly saying, “Whatever, you’re all f—king dumb,” in response to his commands, yet he tolerates her disrespectful behavior and doesn’t make a move.
The backup officer, who was Black, remained an observer throughout the entire exchange until the woman’s behavior escalated to the point he deemed a threat, and he moved in while she wasn’t looking.
He grabbed the woman’s arms and reached for his handcuffs, catching the woman off guard and leaving her stunned.
At this point, her attitude shifted from anger to dismay as the officer placed her hands behind her back.
“What the hell are you doing? Why are you arresting me?” she asked in disbelief, her tone now meek, as the cuffs clicked around her wrists.
She looked even more confused as the officer began rifling through her designer handbag for the evidence.
According to the MTA website, vaping is illegal on New York City Transit property, including the subway and outdoor stations.
New York State Public Health Law also prohibits e-cigarette use in places where smoking is prohibited, which includes public transportation. This includes underground subway stations, ticketing and boarding areas, and buses, vans, taxicabs, and limousines when occupied by passengers.
Social media users had a field day blasting the woman’s bold display of Karenism at the expense of the well-meaning officer.
“That exaggerated body language really does look like it’s taken straight out of a Sims 1 animation cycle, especially the stomping,” one Reddit user wrote, referring to the first game in the popular life simulation video game series. “It’s like her ‘Fun’ meter is running on empty.”
Some Reddit users attempted to dissect the incident from a rational perspective, delving into the psychological aspects that may have influenced the woman’s actions.
“Struggles with reason and accountability,” said SidneySilver. “Once her behavior doesn’t garner the effect it usually does, she’s confused and shocked. I bet she’s got plenty of mileage out of this type of behavior. I always try to remember people engage in behaviors THEY think will produce favorable results, regardless. I see it with men and women. It’s why so many people act the sh–ty ways they do — it’s effective. Most people won’t hold them accountable.”
Another person said, “You can tell how much sh-t she gets away with by throwing a tantrum and how shocked she is when she has to face consequences. It’s really incredible.”
One commenter suggested that issues like these often arise from bad parenting.
“This is what happens when you grow up in an environment where you always end up getting what you want by shouting. Parents and other family members who always give a kid what they want to get them to stop yelling instead of disciplining them to make them realize it’s not okay end up producing adults like this.”
